


The Politics of it All

by dumbsbian



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Journalism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Politics, Bisexual Sansa Stark, F/F, Hook-Up, Journalism, Lesbian Margaery Tyrell, Past Relationship(s), Politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:49:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27608573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbsbian/pseuds/dumbsbian
Summary: Sansa gets a new job that leads her to get very close to a promising young politician, Margaery Tyrell.
Relationships: Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell
Comments: 45
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

"You have a very impressive resume," Tyrion told Sansa. They were sitting across from each other, his desk in between them. Sansa had been fretting over today for the past two weeks. If Tyrion told her that he didn't want her, she would have to go back to Winterfell. There were two jobs lined up for her there through her parents, but she didn't want to take them. Her father was the head of Winterfell's council, which meant his offer was a jobs in politics. Robb may have been fine with taking that handout, but Sansa wanted to keep her hands clean of her father's profession. The offer from her mother was one where she could write, but Sansa wanted to write articles, not ghostwrite novels for a publishing company. If she was to do the work, she would get the proper credit for it. 

"Thank you Mr. Lannister." Sansa bowed her head to hide the blush from her praise. It was a trait she'd picked up when she was younger. She had seen her mother do it during interviews. The mannerism had been explained to Sansa once or twice, Catelyn didn't want to appear as arrogant or boastful. The people had an image of Sansa's mother and Catelyn was dead set on keeping up that image. She was a family woman, one who knew when to drop the career hat for the maternal one. 

"I am surprised that you did not include the summer you spent editing for your mother's publishing company," Tyrion said as he flipped through her resume again. Sansa didn't include any of the summers spent working for her parents. She had done it since she was just a small girl, helping them out in some way. "In fact, you left out quite a bit on your resume." 

"I did not feel that any positions I had acquired from my name belonged. Those were not jobs that I earned for my hard work, they were handouts because of my bloodline," Sansa reasoned. Tyrion smiled at her and set the laminated resume back on his desk. He got out of his chair and walked over to Sansa. He stopped a couple feet in front of her, smiled, and then offered his hand for her to shake. "Is this you sending me away or telling me that I got the job?" 

"It will be a pleasure to work with you Ms. Stark." Tyrion moved his hand into hers and then backed away from her. "You start today, go downstairs to get your employee badge, and then someone will show you to your desk. I believe you can do great things here." 

"Thank you Mr. Lannister," Sansa thanked Tyrion. She quickly got up, grabbed her purse, and ran out of Tyrion's office. Sansa went down to the second floor to get her employee badge. The elevator ride took longer than she expected, but that could have easily just been her nerves. Tyrion Lannister was one of the most renowned and praised journalists in the modern age of journalism. He had studied under legends in college and broken away from the expectations of what a Lannister was capable of. In other words, he had befriended people without it being strictly for business or to cover up a scandal. 

In her excitement to get her badge, Sansa raced out of the elevator once it had stopped. In hindsight, she really should have been paying more attention. If that had been the case, she wouldn't have bumped into the two men presumably guarding something or someone and fallen down on her ass. One of the men, a very attractive man with golden blonde curls reached down and lifted Sansa onto her feet. She mumbled an apology to him, but he just gave her a smile and stepped into the elevator behind her. The larger and much more intimidating man just stepped around her and into the elevator. 

'Sorry about them, especially the meathead. Are you alright?" Sansa turned at the sound of a voice that could best be described as sweet. 

"Oh, um, yes I am. Sorry for any trouble," Sansa apologized. The woman was about to say something else when a throat cleared and she walked into the elevator instead. 

* * *

"Meathead?" Loras scoffed. Margaery smirked to herself and leaned against the rail lining the side of the elevator. "I was being polite and helping her up. Besides, she is not my type dear sister." 

"I am well aware that she is not your type brother dearest," Margaery teased. Loras tensed for a moment, afraid that Margaery wasn't completely honest when she had told him that he was forgiven for what he had done. "Has he contacted you?" 

"No he hasn't," Loras answered honestly. He could see the worry on his sister's face. The marriage was a sham, set up purely for political reasons and to hide a possible scandal for the Baratheon family. Loras remembered how horrible it had been watching Margaery and Renly have to pretend to love each other. And he also remembered how awful he had felt whenever the pretending became too much and he helped Renly to break his vows to Margaery about being faithful. Loras knew that neither of them had been faithful to each other, their hearts weren't in the marriage, but Loras had fallen in love with Renly, something that he felt was worse than if it had just been a fling. "I do not expect him to either." 

"I'm not going to be cross with you about what happened Lorie," Margaery said with a small smile. "Hopefully it will work out for you." 

"I gave Tyrion the list of questions that are off limits. Do you want me to go over them with you?" Loras asked to deflect from what his sister had told him. 

"I know the list already. Nothing about mom and dad, nothing about Renly and his whereabouts, and nothing about the girl from the honeymoon," Margaery read the list off almost like a machine. She had gone over it hundreds of times before, but this time, Renly was a part of the list. It had been just under a year since they had last been living together and six months since he had disappeared. He claimed that it was for work when he'd left, but then not a single person had heard from him. Margaery knew that Loras and Renly had been staying together after Margaery had left for Highgarden. 

"Anything that makes you uncomfortable doesn't have to be answered," Loras let her know. 

"Tyrion isn't a tabloid-headline seeking asshole. He's a professional Loras, that is why Olenna sent me," Margaery pointed out. Loras and Willas did interviews sometimes, but those were always for smaller things. Loras wasn't bad with interviewers, but if he wasn't good at hiding his expressions. If something had hit a little too close to home with him, everybody in the room could tell. Willas had just outright refused any sort of PR training, so Olenna tried not to put him in the limelight too often. Margaery had been born for that sort of thing. She was a natural in almost every aspect aside from her slight self-control issues. She was a self-indulgent girl and rarely thought about the consequences of some of the things she did. 

"Margaery, how have you been?" Tyrion greeted Margaery as she approached his office. Margaery smiled at the man and walked into his office with him. Margaery ordered her guards to stay outside, but it was mainly to keep Loras out of the room. He was one of the few people in the world who could see through the "stone face" Margaery had developed and if he reacted to something that was brought up, she wasn't sure she could necessarily salvage the question. 

"Very busy. There are always appearances to keep in Highgarden for a Tyrell," Margaery laughed, playing off her comment as a joke. It sort of was, but it also wasn't. Margaery, despite her inability to get onto Highgarden's council, had to keep a lot of things in check. She was like the Tyrell family's personal ambassador to the rest of the area. Margaery also had to make sure that her brothers stayed out of trouble and go take care of things that her grandmother either didn't have the time or didn't care to make the time for. "Olenna insists that you come and say hi at the gala." 

"I don't know if I can make it to Highgarden in time," Tyrion told her. He was a busy man, the King's Report was a big news network and he personally saw to essentially all of it. There were parts that he had no control over, but those were things he had been forced to delegate in order to make room for bigger and better things to come. 

"It's in King's Landing. Olenna is flying in the night before the gala and I'm in charge of making sure that it's all set up prior to her arrival." Margaery took a seat on the small couch in Tyrion's office. She kicked her heels off and then tucked her legs under herself. The interview went over swiftly, Tyrion asking about Margaery's duties as a lead in to the article about how the Tyrell women were always keeping busy. Then he asked about her childhood growing up essentially in Olenna Tyrell's office and meeting with the different people who had come through over the years.

Margaery even allowed for a couple of questions about her parents. Her mother had died whenever they were small children and then Margaery's father left as well. Margaery didn't remember either of them well, but she did remember finding her mother's body in her father's study. He hadn't killed her, she had died of natural causes, but that didn't stop Willas from speaking of their father as he if had done it. Margaery remembered being dropped off at Olenna's and then never being picked up again. Olenna had tried to find him for years, but eventually gave up. Margaery had looked into finding him, but never actually looked at the file the PI she hired put together. 

"I believe this is more than enough for a riveting piece on the Tyrell family," Tyrion said after Margaery finished the story on her first time meeting Robert Baratheon and his wife Cersei. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome. I expect you on Sunday night," Margaery said as she stood up. Tyrion nodded and walked her out of his office. Loras was the only guard at the elevator whenever Margaery returned, which was sort of expected. "Where to now brother?" 

"We could stay at my apartment or you can use Olenna's suite," Loras gave Margaery her options.

"I hope you like your couch." 

* * *

Robert Baratheon was not an overly serious man. Despite his job, he had never truly become a serious man. Instead, he was a man who provided reason for there being a council to run the city in the first place. He was little more than a puppet figure with his father-in-law's hand controlling him from behind. Robert was there for appearances and because a good deal of the population had liked his candidness in interviews. Whatever he lacked in actual political experience, he more than made up for with the team of advisors that he kept close by. 

"Robert, it is time for you to make the statement. Cersei will walk out with you," Tywin said and Robert nodded. Tywin didn't bother in handing over the prewritten speech because nothing he could write would resonate correctly with the right crowd. Tywin needed to keep the people relaxed because otherwise it would be difficult for Cersei's announcement after the funeral. Announcing to run for a dead man's spot on the day of his funeral wasn't going to be taken very well, so Cersei had to be smart about her campaign. She was Robert Baratheon's wife and Robert Baratheon was "the people's man" so maybe her campaign could paint her to be a wifely type. 

"Of course," Robert said as he glanced over at his wife. She was beautiful and the ties that his family had with the Lannister's had put her directly into his arms. There were times whenever Robert wondered if he'd have been happier chasing girls with the Stark boys. Ned and him had been close then, much closer than they were now, but all good things eventually came to an end. Ned had found his love, Catelyn, and they'd settled down and had a family. Ned wasn't in on the fun, so Robert didn't see much of the point if his best friend wasn't enjoying life with him. That was when he'd caved and his life became one that he'd never picked out for himself. However, his wife was beautiful and there was no shortage of comfort for their lifestyle, so he went along with it and learned to love it. 

"Remember, this is a chance for a new beginning," Cersei whispered to her husband as they walked out onto the stage. There were reporters and Robert could see Tyrion Lannister's cameras filming him. Robert liked Tyrion, despite Cersei's insistence that her brother was awful and wrote only bad things about the two of them. Robert thought it was funny, some of the things that Tyrion said about him, but Cersei took each word as a personal and pointed attack of her character. 

"Tonight, I come to you as the bearer of bad news. I ask that we take these next few days to mourn the loss of our councilman. Then, I think we should look to the future. Good work can be done on the council and it is the duty of the people to make sure that the next member that is elected was the right person for the job. To the future candidates, I wish you good luck on your endeavor." 


	2. Chapter 2

"Are these flowers frozen?" Loras asked as he looked around at the various types of roses decorating the stage. The gala was tomorrow and the finishing touches were being places for the decorations ahead of Olenna's arrival and inspection. The Tyrell Benefit Gala was held annually and regarded as a hot spot for big names and legitimate charity. Margaery had been a part of the planning committee since she was 15 and once she had proved that she wouldn't completely mess up everything, Olenna delegated that event to Margaery. Since Margaery was on business in King's Landing, Olenna had allowed for the grand event to be held in the nation's capital for the first time in twenty years. 

"Technically, yes," Margaery answered her brother. Loras nodded curtly and Margaery turned to face her brother. "She will be here any minute, why do you look like that?" 

"Says the woman wearing sweatpants in public," Loras teased. Margaery swatted at him and went back to looking at her list. 

"These pants are more than your rent," Margaery pointed out. "Although, any pants would be more than what you pay for rent. Assuming my dear husband is still paying your rent." 

"Are you cross with me about that situation, be honest Marg." Loras watched his sister as she thought about it. 

"Of course I am cross about the situation. I was forced into something and humiliated after I finally let in and started trying!" Margaery shouted at Loras. Loras was taken aback by the response. It wasn't that Margaery was emotionless, but she was like their family's PR princess. She was good at concealing, but it seemed that she had been concealing with that subject for much too long. "Can you go please for a little bit Loras?" 

"I am sorry. I really am," Loras spoke softly. Margaery sniffled and Loras just turned on his heels and walked away. Margaery looked around at how everything was set up and decided to take a break. She walked up onto the stage and sat down. There would be a speech for her to give at the gala, Loras was introducing her. Would he still say the same nice things about her that had been written out days before? Loras wasn't petty, but he did not like being yelled at. Although, if Margaery was being honest, she was certain that Loras had been wanting her to yell at him or get angry about what had happened. Margaery's civility about the whole thing whilst it had been unfolding had been eerie and out of character for the woman that Loras had grown up alongside. 

"What the hell?" Margaery asked herself as she checked her social media. The Lannister family was not one that Margaery followed closely, but she couldn't remember the last time Cersei was the only member of her family to be trending. As she scrolled to find out why the woman was trending, she saw a countdown for a big public announcement following the funeral of the recently deceased council member. As the dots connected in Margaery's head, she let out a breathless, "She isn't." 

* * *

"Are you sure that going out alone is the wisest decision?" Tywin asked his daughter. "Robert could join you. I'm sure that Tommen and Myrcella would happily join you for your announcement." 

"With all due respect, the family is not running for the vacant council spot, I am. They do not need to be present during my announcement speech, just the ones after that," you said and Tywin scowled at his daughter. He knew what the people said about Cersei. The public did not receive her as a warm and welcoming woman, especially not after the scandals that had come about with former houseworkers. 

"Well then, you do what you believe you need to," Tywin told her. Cersei waited for the cue and then she walked out to the medium sized crowd. There was a short applause and then Cersei began her speech. 

"It may seem early for anybody to announce their running for council, but there is not time to waste. And an opportunity to have a more direct hand in shaping the world that my children live in is not one that I plan on letting slip by me. So, I ask that you take the time to mourn and then remember who came forward first to offer a new voice to the people of Westeros." Cersei waited for an applause before walking back to where Tywin was waiting for her. The speech was short, but had gotten to the point. Something that she had learned from watching her father for years. 

* * *

Tyrion sighed as he clicked his television off. Cersei's running was surprising, but her timing was not. Both of his siblings liked to be the first to do something, even if it was premature. Tyrion had half a mind to run against his sister, but he had sworn himself to stay away from politics. It was a nasty business and he preferred the passive aggressive written jab over verbal arguments when it came to his own family. However, he knew that keeping his thoughts to himself was vital for this, so he came up with an idea. He was going to get a team together to write about his sister's campaign, hoping that it would prompt somebody less terrible to run against her. 

"Meeting in 10," Tyrion called out to the floor. Everybody began to finish up whatever they'd been doing and within 7 minutes, the meeting room was full. There were whispers about what the meeting was about and Tyrion looked around at his employees before he started. "As of 13 minutes ago, my sister Cersei announced her running for King's Landing High Council. There are five spots on a team I'm putting together to follow her campaign closely. Some of you will work closely with my sister, some of you will be more fortunate. Put in your applications if you are interested and I'll get back to you about whether or not you're in." 

"This is huge," Sansa said as the meeting was dismissed. She knew that she was the new girl, but Tyrion went off of skill and not seniority, so she had a real shot. And even if she couldn't shadow Cersei, Sansa was certain that somebody else interesting would run for the spot. Tyrion watched as his employees got back to doing their work or started on applications for the new project he'd announced. 

"Gods let Margaery do the right thing," Tyrion mumbled to himself. 

* * *

"Oh my god, you're baby faced again," Margaery laughed to herself as she saw Loras. It was customary for the Tyrells that were attending the gala to take pictures together beforehand and while Margaery had assumed that Loras would be forced to "clean up a bit" she hadn't expected that much. His hair, which he had been trying to grow out a bit was cut neatly and the beard he'd been working on since Renly left was gone. 

"Shut up," Loras grumbled, which only made Margaery laugh even more. "Plunging neckline for a charity event, really?" 

"It pays to be the favorite," Margaery said with a wink. Loras rolled his eyes and took his spot on the left side of Olenna. Margaery and Loras were always towards the front of the pictures. Once he was old enough to refuse, Willas had just stopped coming to the events. There were always cousins and more distance Tyrells, ones that generally stayed out of the public eye. Margaery's spot had changed over the years, from sitting on her grandmother's lap or by her legs to standing on the right side. It was symbolic, going from being the baby to Olenna's right hand woman. 

"Quiet you two," Olenna ordered. Margaery nodded and held her head high for the photos. Loras and Margaery walked the carpet with Olenna and then too their spots. There was mingling and the attention on Cersei Lannister was not at all lost on Margaery. It wasn't that Margaery was jealous, but Margaery was not a fan on the attention going to Cersei instead of the event. 

"If you have a minute, may I have a word?" Tyrion asked Olenna as he approached her from behind. The old woman's eyes lit up as she turned to see the small man dressed in his finest suit. 

"For my favorite Lannister, of course," Olenna agreed. Margaery gave them privacy and used the opportunity to distract from Cersei. The plunging neckline was a strategic move, one that was allowed for more reasons than her being the favorite. All it had taken was one trip to the bar, a glass of whiskey, and Robert Baratheon was by her side. 

"My wife isn't stealing your thunder is she?" Robert asked casually. Margaery set her drink down, keeping her hand over the top, and turned to look at her brother-in-law. 

"I wasn't aware that I had thunder to steal tonight," Margaery lied. She absolutely had thunder and Cersei could keep it in the pre-game, but as the night went on, Margaery would make sure that it was diverted. "This is not about me." 

"These have been about you for years. I am not a particularly smart man, but I am smart enough to know that much. Most Tyrell events are about you at this point," Robert pointed out. 

"They're about the good that our family name can do and celebrating my grandmother's lengthy career in public service." It was a trained response, but to an extent, Margaery did believe it. "Shouldn't you be making a statement endorsing your wife or something?" 

"Hasn't been written for me yet," Robert half-joked. "You ever think of running?" 

"Are you suggesting that I run against your wife?" Margaery asked him. As she waited for Robert's response, Margaery lifted her glass to her lips and sort of slowly took a drink. She could feel Robert watching her every move as she did, knowing that there was no way that he was thinking about his wife at that point. 

"I mean this as a compliment, but there is nobody in the world that is better suited for politics than you. It's natural for you and Olenna has spent her retirement boosting that natural talent as much as she can," Robert told Margaery. She mulled over the thought of running for the spot as she finished her drink and Loras began his speech about her. 

"I'll think about it. Go to your wife, I have to go turn a charity event into a money pissing contest," Margaery said and Robert barked a laugh at the joke. Margaery's plan for getting a room full of rich men to prove their richness by donating proved to work fairly well. It also took attention away from Cersei, which was an added bonus. Margaery mingled amongst the crowd a bit and then when the night began to wind down, hit up the bar before going out into the town. 


	3. Chapter 3

Loras hummed a song to himself as he walked up the stairs to get to his apartment. Something told him that he was going to have a good day, so he decided to treat himself. Instead of making cheap coffee in his house, he went out and got himself a cup from the café that Margaery always came from when she came to visit him. Margaery had taken back a couple packages of coffee grounds when she'd left. After getting his coffee, Loras had gone out to get breakfast before his workout. While he was at the gym, he'd been hit on. Normally, the gym wasn't a great place for him to meet anybody, but things really were going his way. This guy had been nice and even bought him a protein drink from the desk on their way out. So, with his drink in hand, Loras unlocked his front door and stepped inside, but his smile almost immediately fell. 

"I made eggs," Renly said from his spot on the couch. Loras stopped and stared at the man sitting on the couch with his feet on the coffee table. Renly had left. Renly made it seem like he wasn't coming back, but there he was on Loras' couch. "Would you like a plate?"

"Margaery was looking for you," was all Loras told Renly. Loras walked right through the living room and back to his bathroom. Had Loras decided to go into his bedroom, he would have found Renly's suitcase by the closet door. Well, not immediately, at least. Loras undressed himself and stepped into the shower, hoping slightly that Renly wouldn't be there when he got out of the shower, but also hoping that Renly wasn't going to leave him again. As Loras toweled himself off, a thought popped into his head, Renly had kept the key to the apartment. Renly had kept paying for the apartment, so Loras decided he could have the key, but it was unexpected that it was kept. 

"Can we talk?" Renly asked as Loras walked into the bedroom. Loras stopped on his way to his dresser and just stared at the suitcase. "I haven't got a place to settle in yet. Give me a couple days to talk to my brother and I'll try to be out of your hair, unless you'd like me to stay." 

"It's fine," Loras said quietly. He grabbed some clothes, his pillow, a couple of blankets, and walked out to the living room. He got dressed and then started making up a bed on the couch. A couple moments later, Loras walked back into the bedroom and sat down next to Renly. "Okay, start talking."

* * *

"What time is it?" Olenna asked as Margaery grabbed a wine glass. 

"In Highgarden, it's always time for wine," Margaery stated as if it was a fact. 

"What is bothering you?" Olenna asked, hoping that would get an actual answer. Margaery poured some wine into the glass, turned to hand it to Olenna and then sat down with the bottle. 

"I hate the Baratheon men," Margaery said and Olenna chuckled at that. She had seen Margaery talking with Robert at the gala, just like she'd seen Margaery disappear once things began to die down. "Robert put a stupid idea in my head." 

"If you are considering it and troubling yourself, it is not stupid my little rose." Margaery's face softened at the nickname just a bit. Loras had been Olenna's little knight and Margaery was always the rose. "So, what was this idea that you are mulling over?" 

"Running against Cersei for that council spot," Margaery answered with a heavy sigh. Olenna liked the idea, she had it herself when the news broke of the councilman's passing. Cersei Lannister wasn't going to play nice though, neither would Tywin. However, Margaery had her fair share of business associates and political allies already from her work in Highgarden and the internships and summer jobs she'd taken while Olenna headed Highgarden's council. 

"The Lannisters are a dangerous family to oppose, but do not forget that you are my little rose. You are beautiful, but those who wish to pick you out will end up with thorns in their hands if they are not careful," Olenna advised. Margaery took a drink from the bottle and set it down on the table. 

"I'm going to head back to King's Landing tomorrow. I need to go apartment hunting." 

"Don't be silly. I am sure your father's hidey house is cleared out, no use in letting it gather dust," Olenna said and Margaery nodded. "The keys are upstairs in the study, good luck."

* * *

Sansa stared at her computer, refreshing her email for the tenth time in two minutes. There was less than 10 minutes until the deadline for the team announcement and Sansa wanted it so badly. She had put in the application, she had taken on extra work to show how productive she was, and she had even written a small piece about Cersei's announcement. Sansa did everything that she could think of in hopes that it would overshadow the fact that she was the newest journalist there and had the least amount of experience both in life and her work. 

"Sansa, go to sleep," Jeyne, Sansa's childhood best friend and now roommate, told her. 

"I will in 7 minutes and 25 seconds," Sansa said as she glanced at her watch. Jeyne wrapped her arms around Sansa's shoulders and tried pulling her chair away from her desk. Sansa realized what was happening just in time and grabbed onto the sides of the desk. Jeyne kept pulling, but ended up falling backwards after tripping over the rug. 

"Sansa, I need to go to sleep and your light is keeping me up," Jeyne said with a huff. "Please, go to sleep." 

"Jeyne, this is my room. You have your own," Sansa told her. It wasn't uncommon for them to share a room, especially whenever something big was about to happen for one of them. Jeyne had been camping out in Sansa's room since the first spot was taken by someone else. Sansa had been fair about that one, claiming that the man was a good journalist and rambling until Jeyne had literally fallen asleep. 

"What movie should I put on?" Jeyne asked as she turned on Sansa's Netflix. 

"Cabin Fever," Sansa said and Jeyne scoffed. 

"You hate horror movies. When we went to on that double date last year, you slept in your parents' bed for the remainder of our holiday in Winterfell," Jeyne reminded her. 

"And you slept in Robb's bed," Sansa bit back. Jeyne's cheeks began blushing and Sansa checked her watch again. It was officially past the deadline, so she refreshed her email again and waited. 

"Did you get in?" Jeyne asked with a hopeful look on her face. Sansa turned around in her chair and with her head hung low, shook it no. "What does Tyrion Lannister know anyways?" 

"I don't think I wanna watch a movie tonight." Seconds later, Sansa sniffled and then broke down completely. Jeyne rushed over to pull Sansa into bed, refraining from a jab about how secretly heavy Sansa was. Normally, the redhead would have found that funny, but she was upset and that joke could have made that worse. Jeyne held Sansa until the Stark woman had calmed down and begun to fall asleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Twice in one month, you can't stay away," Tyrion joked as he ushered Margaery into his office. "What brings you back to King's Landing so soon?"

"I'm waiting on some flowers to come in so they can be planted, but after that I need to make an announcement. I am going to run against your sister for the council spot," Margaery said as she sat down on the loveseat in Tyrion's office. 

"I am glad somebody is. The company cannot back you, but know that you have my support wherever you need it," Tyrion told her. Margaery smiled, glad that he could count on his support. "Would it be okay if I had one of my reporters shadow you during the campaign?"

"It is only fair since you've got a team of people writing all about Cersei," Margaery reasoned. Tyrion chuckled at that and handed Margaery a folder to look through. "Sansa Stark, interesting." 

"Have you met her?" Tyrion asked. Margaery shook her head and continued to read. "She has her mother's writing gifts and a natural style all her own. I have no doubts she'll be completely honest, so behave around her." 

"I will do no such thing," Margaery told Tyrion as she stood up. "I want to meet her for lunch. Hopefully she's cute."

* * *

"What the hell happened to you boy!" Robert bellowed as he stared at his son. Joffrey was no stranger to getting himself in trouble, but this was beyond what Robert could excuse. Robert had done his fair share of things, but the situation he had caught Joffrey in was way past what was deemed acceptable. Especially with Cersei's campaign just having started. She may have been the only candidate, but eventually someone else would toss their hat in and everybody knew that Cersei couldn't handle a scandal so early. 

"Robert, calm down. He is just a boy," Cersei told her husband. "He was just trying to have some fun. Impress his new friends." 

"He has no friends because the boy is a sociopath!" Robert yelled. Cersei looked over at Joffrey, who just sat there with a smirk on his face. 

"I'm a Baratheon, they won't send me to jail," Joffrey told his parents. "Even if they do, I'm the son of the people." 

"You are not one of the people. You are an entitled ass who believes that the world will bend to his will," Robert said sternly. "Your mother is trying to do something for herself and you may have just ruined it all. Are you happy boy?" 

"It isn't that bad. We can sweep it under the rug, just like the affairs, right?" Joffrey asked and at the sound of silence from both his parents, he realized that he had overstepped. However, that did not mean he necessarily cared. "It'll blow over." 

"It may not," Cersei said quietly. "I've got to go call my father. You two stay here, hopefully he can fix this." 

* * *

"Turn it off," Loras groaned as Renly's alarm clock went off. Loras was a morning person, but Renly was a "rise before the sun" kind of guy. Loras loved the productivity and the discipline that it showed in Renly, but he wasn't a fan of having to wake up with Renly. 

"You go back to sleep. I'm just off for a run," Renly said as he slid out of bed. 

"Or you could get back in bed because I'm cold now," Loras whined. Renly rolled his eyes and picked his clothes out of the closet for his run. 

"You and your sister are very alike in the mornings." Loras scoffed at Renly's observation, even if he knew that it was true. Margaery was just a more aggressive and angrier person whenever she was woken up early. Loras remembered many mornings when he had to wake Margaery up for school and the few occasions that it'd ended in a bloody nose or an all-out brawl. As a phone started to vibrate on the table, Loras groaned again. "Don't think of getting mad at me. Maggie's calling you." 

"It's so early," Loras cried out and Renly just chuckled at him. Loras pulled himself out of bed and picked up his phone to see texts about how she needed him over immediately. Loras sent a quick text to let her know he was on his way, got dressed, said bye to Renly, and then went to see his sister. "I absolutely fucking hate you." 

"I bought you coffee," Margaery said as she handed him a mug. Loras took it with a grumble and practically chugged it. 

"Is there alcohol in this?" Loras asked as he pulled a face. Margaery nodded as she walked over to the middle of the flower arrangement she'd put in front of her house. "What am I here for?" 

"Look at the monitor and tell me if it looks okay," Margaery told Loras. He looked up at her in disbelief for a moment and then did what she told him to. He gave her a thumbs up and Margaery raced inside, yelling about following her. Loras pinched the bridge of his nose, muttered some swear words under his breath, and then walked inside. 

"Where did you get this place?" Loras asked as he looked around the house. 

"Bastard's business home," Margaery answered. "Grandma gave me the keys so I can stay in King's Landing during the campaign." 

"What campaign?" Loras asked and Margaery turned to face her brother. "You're running for the spot aren't you?" 

"I am, so let's pick out an outfit for me, get me breakfast, and make sure I don't seem like I've been drinking since 3:25."

* * *

"Sir, I am so sorry that I did not get here earlier," Sansa apologized to Tyrion as she ran to where his car was parked on the street. "I know that you asked for me to get here by 8, but there was traffic and I didn't get your message until after 7." 

"Sansa, relax. You being here is a favor to me and a dear friend of mine," Tyrion said with a charming smile. His smile, however charming it had seemed in the moment, paled in comparison to that of Margaery Tyrell. Sansa's attention was drawn over to the young politician as soon as the woman approached them from the stage. "Speak of the devil. Sansa, this is Margaery Tyrell. Margaery, this is Sansa Stark." 

"It is truly an honor, Ms. Stark. Tyrion showed me the piece you wrote on Cersei Lannister. Hopefully you do not see my announcement as too premature. I just couldn't stand the good people of Westeros allowing themselves to believe Cersei was their only option." Margaery's smile was disarming and almost enough to distract Sansa from hearing the words that had been spoken to her. "Has Tyrion filled you in what is happening today?" 

"I was just getting there before you interrupted," Tyrion said with an annoyed huff. "I have hand-picked you to follow Margaery's campaign. I believe that you can handle getting one article a week out about Ms. Tyrell. Do not be afraid to report on anything, she signed a waiver this morning claiming fair game. I'll leave the two of you to start talking. This project starts officially next week, and you will report here when Margaery calls you." 

"Yes sir," Sansa confirmed and Tyrion left the two women to stand there together. "You're running for council?" 

"I am. There were a number of pushing hands that helped in the decision. It is also past due for a Tyrell to be a part of King's Landing." Margaery gave Sansa a little wink before she walked off to give her announcement speech. Sansa was truly in awe during it, impressed by the charisma and interest that the Tyrell woman managed. Sansa remembered her father and Robert talk about how Olenna Tyrell, the first woman appointed to the council, had completely captured the crowds during her speeches. Obviously that talent had been passed down to Margaery because Sansa had sat through a lot of politician's speeches, but none had been like Margaery's. Of course, if Margaery's words ever managed to fail her, a little chuckle and a smile would definitely do the trick to draw the crowd back in. 


	5. Chapter 5

Robb pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched his boyfriend trying to carry in the groceries. It had begun as a competition from when they were younger. Robb, Theon, and Jon had all tried to see who could carry in the most grocery bags for Catelyn. Robb had done it to be helpful, Theon did it because it could be a competition, and Jon just wanted to be included. It appeared that Theon had never broken the habit of trying to carry insane amounts of bags into the house at once. Robb knew that it was only a matter of time before Theon bit off more than he could chew and fucked his back up or something. 

"What do I need to wear to this thing?" Theon asked as he dumped the bags onto the counter. Robb started to go through the bags and sort out what needed to go in the fridge and what went into the pantry. 

"A suit, the nicely tailored one that I am going to pick up whenever I pick up my mother," Robb said and Theon nodded to show he understood. Robb had already been sworn in at Winterfell, but now he was in King's Landing to be sworn in as a representative for Winterfell. It was a job that his father had held years ago and Robb was honored to take after his old man. Ned Stark was a man that a lot of people looked up to and if Robb could have a name with even a quarter of the respect on it, he could die happy. "I need you to go visit Sansa and ask her if she'd like to come and watch me get sworn in." 

"The joys of being your husband's assistant," Theon snarkily muttered to himself. Robb rolled his eyes, having overheard his boyfriend. "Anything else you need sir?" 

"A kiss would be nice." Robb gave his best puppy dog eyes to Theon, which even though they weren't good, were successful. Theon leaned across the counter and kissed Robb before he walked off to their living room to call Sansa. Robb was relieved that Theon handled that because while Robb and Sansa's relationship was good, Theon was more her friend than Robb was. Robb understood why, he had chased away pretty much every single boy that Sansa had ever brought home and refused to apologize for any of it. However, there were a couple of times that Sansa had ended up calling Robb to thank him for getting her out of a bad relationship before it could properly start. 

* * *

"Where the fuck are you Renly!" Margaery shouted as she entered Loras' apartment. "I know that you are in here, so stop hiding and face me you coward!" 

"Stop shouting," Loras said from the dining room table. "He's in the shower." 

"Thank you," Margaery said as she marched back to Loras' bedroom bathroom. For a moment, she wondered what she was going to say, but then she burst through the door without an actual plan. 

"Loras, I thought you said you weren't joining me," Renly said as he opened the curtain a bit. Immediately, he shut it and looked up at the ceiling, cursing whatever powers were behind Margaery being there. "Hello Maggie." 

"Don't you fucking 'Maggie' me. What the hell are you doing here Renly?" Margaery asked and Renly turned off the shower. 

"Can you hand me my towel please?" Renly asked and Margaery held it out towards him. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome. Now, answer my question." Margaery looked about half as pissed as she sounded. Renly knew that meant he was in big trouble with her, but it wasn't quite catastrophic yet. 

"How did you know where I was?" Renly asked and Margaery just stood there with her arms crossed. "I'm staying with Loras while I prepare myself to get back to work." 

"You left your location on when you posted on Instagram," Margaery told him. Renly internally cursed himself for being so stupid as Margaery leaned back against the door. "I suppose this is the part where I thank you for your support." 

"I suppose it is, but let's be honest, you or Cersei isn't much of a choice," Renly chuckled. "Can we go out for a cup of coffee or something?" 

"Actually, I have to get going. Raincheck on that, we can get brunch with Robert and Cersei though," Margaery said with a sinister little smirk. Renly knew that he couldn't get out of that one, but he wasn't completely certain that he necessarily deserved to get out of that. He had kept up with Margaery on social media and she had been to quite a few of his brother's family dinners without so much as calling to complain. 

"Robert is going to beat my ass," Renly said and Margaery nodded. "I mean, into a pulp. Being the baby will do nothing for me now." 

"Stannis is going to fuck you up too, don't forget about that." And with that, Margaery left Renly to get dried off and dressed. On her way out, Margaery stopped by where Loras was still sipping on his coffee. "How long has he been here?" 

"A few weeks," Loras answered honestly. "I am sorry I did not tell you." 

"We will deal with that betrayal later. Wear something nice to dinner tonight, it is important. Also, do not bring Renly," Margaery ordered Loras. He nodded and stared down at his coffee as Margaery left his apartment. 

"We need to get the locks changed now that she knows I'm here," Renly said as he joined Loras at the table for some breakfast. 

* * *

Sansa stared at the house in front of her. Margaery Tyrell had a taste for the extravagant. Sansa had originally thought the flower arrangement had just been for the announcement, but the flowers were still there. In fact, there were even more flowers than there had been before. As Sansa stared at the different flowers that'd been planted, she failed to notice that Margaery had returned from whatever errand she had been out doing. 

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Margaery asked, spooking Sansa. The redhead jumped and turned to see Margaery smiling at her. "Sorry about spooking you. I can be a bit sneaky I guess." 

"It's fine. I'm just a bit distracted is all. My little sister called me this morning to tell me that she's gonna go to the same college I did," Sansa huffed. "That means it'll be my responsibility to keep her out of trouble because I'm closest." 

"Loras used to be my responsibility, and let me tell you, now that he's in charge of my wellbeing, revenge is sweet," Margaery laughed as she tugged Sansa inside. "So, tonight is not an interview night, but if you will be spending lots of time with me, you must meet my family. Willas was too busy to answer my calls, so it'll be just my grandmother and my little brother. Oh, and she'll insist you call her Olenna and not Lady Tyrell, but greet her at first with Lady Tyrell." 

"Noted." Sansa followed Margaery through the house. She watched Margaery write a note and place it on the fridge before whisking Sansa upstairs. 

"I need to know your dress size so that I can call to have one brought over," Margaery requested. "Oh, do you have a fabric preference?" 

"Not really, and it is unnecessary to find me a dress. I can run and get one," Sansa offered. Margaery shook her head, got Sansa's size, and then made a couple of calls. 

"You know, you're very pretty," Margaery complimented and Sansa blushed. "You look like your mother. I've met her a couple of times, but I was a child. Well, actually I was a baby the first few times. Then my mother wanted out of the spotlight, so my dad gave her that. Your family came to my mother's funeral, I remember your brother was too nervous to give me a flower, so your mother did it instead." 

"Robb?" Sansa asked and Margaery nodded with a small smile. "Do you know him well now?" 

"Not well, but I was pleased to see him being sworn in. Even though he looks like he'd be happier doing something else," Margaery noted. Sansa knew what she meant. Robb would have been happier doing a million other things, but he'd been told since he was just a boy that he'd be a man like his father. He just realized too late that he could do that by doing his own thing. By the time he realized that, Robb was too far in to back out. "I would love to talk to him about Northern policies for my campaign." 

"Nobody ever talks about the north." Sansa tilted her head to the side as she looked at Margaery. There was sincerity in her voice, but it was odd that Margaery, Highgarden's perfect daughter, would think to include that. "It's not a gimmick is it?" 

"Not at all, I genuinely think that Winterfell may have representatives, but they haven't had a voice on the council since your father retired. Robb is a long way from getting onto the council and like I said, he wouldn't be happy with that job. Despite how it looks, I know what it is like to be underrepresented. It has led to some big mistakes because I didn't have someone in my corner at the time." Margaery's voice had gotten soft. Sansa wasn't sure what Margaery was talking about, but she knew that Margaery was definitely someone who she could trust. "Do you want to take a walk through the garden? It's not much, but I noticed you'd been looking at the flowers." 

"That sounds lovely, thank you," Sansa agreed. 

* * *

Margaery Tyrell was a woman of many talents. It was pretty obvious that she had political suave from what Sansa had seen. The knowledge in botany was a bit unexpected, but Margaery explained that there wasn't a lot to do in Highgarden except for look at the gardens and sneak a glass of wine or two on the weekends. Sansa was really impressed whenever it came to Margaery's skills in the kitchen. However, Margaery had to enlist Sansa's help in baking some sort of dessert because Margaery just couldn't bake to save her life. The little taste of the dish that Margaery had made, essentially on her own, had blown Sansa's taste buds away. 

"Can I interest you in a pre-dinner glass of wine?" Margaery offered Sansa as she came up from the wine cellar. "If you like this one, there is an extra bottle I can send with you as thanks for saving my ass with the dessert." 

"You're feeding me a home cooked meal better than anything I could find at a restaurant back home, no thanks needed," Sansa reasoned. Margaery shook her head and poured two glasses of wine. They did a quick cheers and then Sansa took a sip of her wine. Margaery watched her for a reaction, hoping that Sansa liked the wine. "Where did this come from?" 

"Family vineyard in Highgarden. The Tyrells live very diverse lives," Margaery told Sansa. Margaery managed to flip the conversation to Sansa and her family by the time that their cups ran empty and Loras arrived with Olenna. Margaery left Sansa and her family alone at the table as she brought the food out. 

"I am sure that Margaery has already told you this, but you are beautiful like your mother," Olenna complimented Sansa. "And from I hear, she believes you are an even better writer." 

"Oh thank you Lady Tyrell," Sansa said. The blush came just as easily with Olenna's compliment than it had Margaery's. "Although, I do not know about that second part." 

"Oh please, call me Olenna," Olenna corrected. Sansa nodded and Loras cleared his throat. "Oh, have my met my grandson Loras?" 

"I have not. Sansa Stark, Margaery has told me a bit about you," Sansa introduced herself. Loras shook her hand, but the uneasy look on his face did not go unnoticed. 

"I may be cross with you, but I did not lie brother," Margaery reassured him. "I told her how you're a gentleman and that you spend more time on your hair than anybody else I have ever met." 

"To be fair, you do have very nice hair. My older brothers would definitely talk your ears off about hair products," Sansa said with a light chuckle. Loras gave her a much more relaxed smile before taking his seat at the table. Whatever stunt he had been fearing Margaery would pull, never came, just light dinner conversation over an amazing meal. 

"Where did this cake come from Marg?" Loras asked and Margaery rolled her eyes. "There is no way that you baked this. The last cake you tried making literally boiled." 

"Boiled?" Sansa asked, intrigued. "How does that even happen?" 

"Sansa made the cake because you didn't pick one up in the morning after I left." Margaery was obviously cross with Loras and she'd had just enough wine to stop hiding it. "Sansa, it is delicious thank you." 

"Oh, um, it was no problem, really. I was feeling useless since you didn't let me help you cook," Sansa said and Margaery took a sip of her wine. 

"She's a bit of a control freak in the kitchen," Olenna interjected. "But it's hard to be mad about it when the food tastes so good." 

"Grandma, it is late. I think we'd better get going. Your flight is in the morning," Loras said and Olenna let him escort her out of the house. Margaery checked the time and started putting things away. 

"Let me call you a cab," Margaery said as she watched Sansa sway in place. 

"Thank you," Sansa yawned as she picked up a couple of empty glasses. 

"Or you could stay here. There's a very nice guest room that is unoccupied," Margaery offered. 

"That sounds good. I'll be out of your hair in the morning," Sansa promised. 

"No need, we can get breakfast and you can get your first interview." 


	6. Chapter 6

Cersei fumed as she sat in her father's home office. The trip back to her childhood home with her family was solely for campaign photos. Margaery Tyrell's announcement had definitely thrown a wrench in Cersei's plan. She had hoped to run unopposed, at least for the first few months. Perhaps a "commoner" would run against her, which she had the upmost confidence in handling. Margaery Tyrell was not a commoner, but she did seem to be much more popular among them. 

"It took quite a lot of negotiating, but here you go," Tywin said as he handed a large yellow envelope to his daughter. 

"This has what I need to bring the Tyrell girl down?" Cersei asked. She wanted to be sure that this was a one-and-done type of situation. Tywin gave a curt nod and sat down across from his daughter. Cersei had hoped that Tywin would have just let her go after that, but it was clear to her that this information came with instructions. 

"Do not leak it all immediately. There are specific scenarios and dates for some of this. If we do not need it, I would rather not have it available to be held against us later. Do not give any of it to Tyrion, he may as well be in bed with the Tyrell family. Use this responsibly and do not directly give it to anybody. The less people know our association with this, the better," Tywin instructed. Cersei nodded and stood up from the chair she was sitting in. 

"Thank you for your help father," Cersei said as she left the room. Tywin sighed as he sat back in his chair and picked up his phone. Once Cersei leaked the first piece, Tywin knew that Olenna wouldn't spare him. He could only hope that what had been dug up could bury Margaery's career along with the Tyrell name. 

* * *

"I don't see why all of us have to be here," Bran said as Rickon wheeled him along the sidewalk. 

"What's her name Bran?" Arya asked as she turned to face her younger brother. The last three Stark kids were much closer in age than the others. Robb and Jon were fairly close, less than a year apart, but Jon wasn't technically one of them. Sansa was about six years younger than Robb, but four years older than Arya. Arya was only two years older than Bran, who had already picked out a school closer to home to attend, and Bran was three years older than Rickon. 

"There's no girl, I just don't see why I have to be here," Bran grumbled. Arya and Rickon shared a look before pushing along a bit further. "We were just in King's Landing for Robb not too long ago." 

"Now we're here for Arya to help her get settled," Ned said, stopping to make sure all his kids were still following. "This is a big deal, Arya worked hard to get into school here." 

"It isn't everyday that a fencing scholarship gets awarded," Arya pointed out. "And I just happened to have gotten the first one that the north has seen. Ever." 

For a little while, that managed to shut Bran up with his complaining. The dorm building was nice. King's Landing University was one of the oldest schools in Westeros and had the biggest campus. Arya hadn't known what she wanted to do whenever she'd been accepted to the university, so she was put in the Fencing Team's dorm building. It was one of the smaller buildings, reserved only for people who were accepted to the university on the scholarship. Arya had a choice once she picked her major whether she'd go live in that building or stay in this one, but she doubted that she'd leave. 

"Single room, you did good," Ned said as he stood back and stared at the room. There was a bed in the corner, a desk, a closet, and a bit more space for her to put a television or something. Ned stayed back in the room to wait for the movers to come up while Catelyn took the kids to get something to eat. 

"You know, I really am proud of you," Catelyn said and Arya nodded. "You did exactly what you said you would do. For a little while, I was afraid you wouldn't come back." 

"I couldn't have stayed abroad. Those guys are too kooky over there and the winters are disappointing," Arya told her mother. "Besides, can't let Sansa win favorite daughter so easily." 

"Sansa isn't the favorite," Catelyn tried to argue. It wasn't true, Sansa was definitely her mother's favorite child overall. Even if Rickon was her baby boy, Sansa was the one who was going to do all the things Catelyn planned for herself, but never achieved. Sansa may not have been their dad's favorite, but she was definitely his delicate little girl. Arya didn't mind losing that moniker though. "She just needs more attention than you seemed to." 

"What do you mean?" Arya asked and Catelyn sighed. 

"Once you were old enough, you ran off to play with your brothers. It was always their approval that you cared about, not mine or your dad's. Then you got a bit older and started to become a bit of a daddy's girl. Sansa though, she was always right behind me. She wanted to write about the pretty things she saw and sometimes she'd take pictures until she learned the right words to use. She's always been a much gentler soul than you have. You've got the blood of the north in you, Sansa's more of a Tully," Catelyn explained. "But that does not mean that either of us love either of you any less. It just means that it's easier for me to connect with Sansa like it's easier for Ned to connect with you." 

"I think I get it," Arya said quietly. If Arya thought about it, her mother was right. Arya had always played with her brothers, especially Jon. Sansa had always played inside whenever she could. In the winter, while everybody else had snowball fights with Ned outside, Sansa stayed inside with Catelyn and baked cookies. Arya did remember one time whenever Sansa had went bike riding with Arya, Robb, and Jon up and down the street. It hadn't ended well for Sansa, the tall redheaded girl having fallen off of her bike and ending up with a wrist sprain. Robb had carried a crying Sansa back to the house while Arya and Jon took all the bikes back. 

"Mom, can we eat here?" Rickon ran back to ask his mother. She looked at the building where he was pointing and nodded. It was a Highgarden restaurant, part of a chain that they'd eaten at on their vacation to Highgarden summers ago. 

"Can we have a cup of wine here?" Bran asked and Catelyn shook her head. 

"That's only okay in Highgarden," Catelyn told her son. It was really a message to all of her kids there, who would have all asked her again at some point. 

* * *

Sansa yawned as she shuffled through her notes. The voice recordings had all been sent to Tyrion and she'd just finished taking notes on that week with Margaery. Margaery had started the week off by inviting her over for breakfast and showing her the room that had been made up in case Sansa wanted to stay the night or wanted to write there. Then, Margaery had given Sansa a tour of King's Landing. Sansa had lived in the city for years, but she hadn't gotten a chance to see the parts that Margaery had shown her. To top off their week spent together, Margaery showed Sansa her plan to do a tour of Westeros to learn what each region specifically needed. There was a lot that Margaery had planned, which impressed Sansa quite a bit. 

A loud banging on her front door could only mean two things: Sansa's family was in town and they were visiting her or Jeyne had somehow pissed off the landlord again. With a heavy sigh, she stood from the mess of work surrounding her and jogged down the hallway. Sansa glanced at herself as she passed by a mirror and sighed. If it was her family, she was in no way ready to go out into the city. She was tired and definitely looked it, but she didn't want to have so many people inside of her house. Hopefully if it was the landlord, Jeyne hadn't done something to make him cross with Sansa as well. 

"Tyrion isn't working you too hard dear, is he?" Catelyn asked as she stepped into Sansa's apartment. Without even so much as a hello, Catelyn grabbed her daughter's face and ran her thumb over the dark circles under Sansa's eyes. "Pretty big first assignment, the Tyrell campaign. Have you gotten to meet Olenna yet?" 

"I have. Margaery invited me to dinner to properly meet them before the interviews started," Sansa answered. Catelyn hummed in response and continued to look over Sansa until Ned pulled her away. 

"She's nearly 23 Cat, let her be," Ned told his wife. Despite how he could come off as unbothered, Ned was usually the hovering parent. He just happened to be able to do that through his wife most of the time. "Staying out of trouble right?" 

"I'm either here or with Margaery, not a lot of places to get into trouble," Sansa sighed. 

"Don't be fooled, the Tyrell girl can be trouble," Ned warned. "Well, get yourself dressed. We're all heading out to dinner, you gotta come too." 

"I'm really tired and I have to get this week's article written for the website," Sansa tried, but from the looks on both her parents' faces, she was going to dinner with them. Sansa sighed and went back to her room to change into something nice, but not nicer than what her parents were wearing. It was Robb's job to overdress now that he was a "bigshot" as Arya and Jon had begun to call him. 

"Took you long enough!" Arya yelled as she saw her parents and Sansa walking back to the car. "You have to sit in the very back with Rickon and Robb." 

"Where's Jon?" Sansa asked. 

"On the wall," Ned told her. Sansa frowned, not having seen Jon since before her graduation. "He's got a break coming up though. Promises to give you your graduation present then." 

"Hurry up and get in, I'm hungry!" Rickon shouted from the back. Arya got out of her seat so Sansa could get in the back of the van. It had been quite some time since all of the children had been in the van and Sansa had forgotten how cramped it got. Of course, she did find herself in the very back sandwiched between her fully grown oldest brother and her still-growing, but definitely pretty big youngest brother. Sansa could tell already that Rickon was definitely going to be the biggest out of all of them, he was already as big as Jon and only 14. 

"Alright, is everybody buckled?" Ned asked as he looked at each of his kids in the rearview mirror. 

"Sansa, put your seatbelt on," Rickon hissed at his sister. Sansa struggled to get her seatbelt from behind Robb's back and then struggled a bit more to buckle it in. "Now we're good!" 


	7. Chapter 7

"This is nice," Loras said as he snuggled up against Renly. The two of them had been working on getting back into their old routine. Loras definitely still felt guilty about staying with Renly, especially since it was definitely putting a bit of a strain on his relationship with Margaery. It felt sort of weird, knowing that they were not on the same good terms that they'd been on for the past 25 years of their lives. 

"It is." Renly glanced down at Loras and smiled. Just as Renly was about to lean down to kiss Loras, the door swung open and Margaery waltzed into the apartment. "She has a key?" 

"Of course I have a key, my name is on the fucking lease. This was our apartment after all," Margaery said and Renly sighed. "I need you to come with me. Robert has invited me out to a bar and you're required as my husband to suffer with me." 

"Are we even married, like really?" Renly asked and Margaery pulled up the photo of their marriage certificate on her phone. "I'd really think that we were considered legally separated." 

"We're married, he's your brother, and Joffrey is going to be there," Margaery told Renly. Loras stiffened at the mention of Renly's nephew. Margaery was obviously uncomfortable at the thought of spending an entire night around the blonde haired piece of shit. Cersei was bad, but Joffrey was worse, especially since Margaery had made it clear that she was not interested in him. 

"Do you need me to be there?" Loras asked. Margaery shook her head at him and looked back at Renly with a pleading look in her eyes. Renly sighed and got up from the couch. With Renly out of the room, Loras decided that he'd try to ask Margaery what he could do to make things better between them. "Can we fix this?" 

"Look, I need time and space. You're shacking up with my husband after he ran away. That hurt me, it really did, but that's not what's wrong between us. When I need you, I'll call you Loras, I promise," Margaery told her brother. Loras sighed and sat back against the couch as he put his feet up on the coffee table. The two of them stayed in a slightly uncomfortable silence while they waited for Renly to come back. 

"You look tense, come on, let's get you something strong," Renly said as he hooked his arm with Margaery's. With a smile, Renly turned to say goodbye to Loras. "We won't be out too late. Someone's got a public image to keep up now." 

"Have fun," Loras called out after them. Margaery unhooked her arm from Renly's and quickly moved down the stairs to get to her car. Renly sighed and followed Margaery down the stairs. 

"You weren't driving when I left," Renly noted as they got into the car together. It was a nice car, definitely something that Renly's older brothers would have drooled over a bit. "Where did you get this?" 

"Dad left it in the garage at my new place," Margaery answered. "You're gonna keep the scruff?" 

"Before I came back, my hair was long too. Then I realized that I looked a little too much like Robert when he was my age." Renly ran his fingers over the neatly trimmed beard he had grown. "You look very dapper tonight, planning on picking up another waitress?" 

"Fuck off," Margaery laughed, thoughts of their engagement party coming to mind. Renly was right though, Margaery had gone with a simple, yet elegant suit for the occasion. "When did you lose your ability to dress?" 

"Everybody wore boardshorts and tank tops on the island," Renly told her. That was at least a clue about where Renly had been during his disappearance. The Baratheon family were pretty rich, so Renly had a multitude of island properties to pick from. Of course he'd never go where Robert and Cersei vacationed, so it was probably on one of the western island resorts. "The cabana boys were hot." 

"Cabana boys aren't really my type," Margaery reminded Renly. It wasn't like he needed much of a reminder though, they had gone on the same honeymoon. "Not that many people know that." 

"Most people don't know anything about you, not really. We're married and I still have no idea who the hell you are," Renly gave a slight chuckle at his own joke. 

"You know that I'm a Tyrell, I am a snob about wine but not other alcohols, and you know that my dick is bigger than yours." Margaery winked as she pulled up to a hotel. She tossed her keys to the valet and then walked to the hotel's bar, her hand laced with Renly's. She only let go whenever she saw Joffrey and Robert. Knowing their past, Renly put himself in between Joffrey and Margaery and kept himself there. "Robert, thank you for the invitation. I've been meaning to get out soon." 

"I wanted to make sure that even after this council business is over, we will stay on good terms." Robert held his hand out and Margaery took it. "I've got a great deal of respect for you and your family." 

"Thank you, there is nothing to worry about between the two of us. Even through, unfortunate past situations, you have shown your integrity Robert." Margaery's eyes glanced over to Joffrey as she spoke. Renly pushed Margaery away from the two Baratheon men standing across from her. "Renly, dear, I'll order your drinks. You go sit and catch up with your family." 

"We've got a great deal to talk about," Robert said and Renly nodded. "Joffrey, come on." 

Margaery watched as all three men left her alone before she turned to the bar. There were two bartenders behind the bar, one making mixed drinks and the other just serving shots and whatever was on tap. Margaery ordered Renly a mixed drink that would come out looking somewhat like a "manly" drink that Robert would approve of. Margaery just got herself a martini and then went over to the table, carrying both of their drinks. Renly and Robert were leaned in towards each other, talking in hushed whispers. It made sense, they were both important men and if what they were talking about got out, a mess of people would be pushed into a scandal that nobody needed. 

"Thank you love," Renly said as he took his drink from Margaery. Joffrey's eyes were on the Tyrell woman as she leaned in and kissed Renly's cheek. Renly took a sip of his drink and then turned back to Robert. "Enough of this. I'd like to enjoy a night out with my wife if you don't mind." 

"You have to consumate the marriage for it to really count," Joffrey sneered. 

"Joffrey, that is not appropriate talk for a lady!" Robert chastised. 

"Perfectly appropriate for a whore," Joffrey muttered under his breath. Margaery smirked at his comment, knowing that his head would explode if he knew an ounce of what actually happened behind closed doors. "My apologies Margaery, that was out of line." 

"You've got problems seeing lines, maybe you should get your eyes checked out." Margaery downed her drink and then got up to get another one. "This is gonna be a long night." 

* * *

Sansa had lived in King's Landing for years, but she'd never once been to the "fitness district" of the city. It appeared to be just gyms and sporting good stores for a couple of blocks at the very least. Arya had, of course, insisted that they check it out so that she could try to find an instructor to teach her something new. Since Sansa had promised her parents that she'd be there for Arya while she got settled, Sansa's entire afternoon was spent listening to Arya rambling about swords. 

"Sansa?" Of all the people that Sansa had expected to see on her day off, Loras Tyrell was not one of them. "Margaery give you the day off?" 

"She called me last night to tell me that she would be hungover today and that at least one of us should enjoy their existence," Sansa paraphrased. Loras sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wondering how bad Margaery had gotten last night. Renly had dropped Margaery and her car off and then drank an entire bottle of wine he had definitely snagged from her kitchen when he got home. "What are you doing out?" 

"There is a swordsman gym and since it appears my sister no longer needs my protection, I've gotten back into the training," Loras sighed. Sansa had noticed that even when Margaery took Sansa out, Loras hadn't been there to join them. "What are you doing here?" 

"My younger sister Arya wanted to check this place out. She's buying a new fencing sword I think." Sansa looked around Loras, trying to find Arya. About 20 feet behind Loras, Sansa spotted Arya talking to some guy handing out flyers outside of what looked like a sketchy gym. "And I found her." 

"Well then I will let you go. Maybe we can grab a cup of tea or coffee sometime?" Loras suggested. 

"That would be nice," Sansa agreed. Loras walked off, disappearing into a sea of people, and Sansa jogged over to meet Arya on the sidewalk. "Please tell me you did not sign up for that gym." 

"I definitely did and I made a friend. His name is Gendry and we're going to work out together tomorrow morning," Arya said excitedly. Sansa supposed that she was glad Arya had made a friend, even if she was concerned about the cleanliness of the gym. "So, you can go back to stressing yourself out writing about that socialite." 

"Margaery is more than a socialite. I really think she's gonna do something great." Sansa's quick defense of Margaery sparked curiosity in Arya. Arya and Jon had joked before that Sansa tended to get too close with some of her friends in high school and then that Jeyne girl she roomed with in college. It wouldn't have surprised Arya if Sansa were to come out and end up potentially dating Margaery. Especially if some of the rumors about Margaery were true, the woman would be open to having some sort of relation with Sansa. Arya knew that Sansa was pretty, she'd always been the pretty one, even if Sansa didn't always agree with being told that. 

"If you like her so much, why don't you date her?" Arya asked, immediately flustering Sansa beyond repair for the afternoon.

* * *

_"Family values are important. The children of Westeros need good examples of what a healthy, functional family looks like. I gave up my career so that I could be there for my children. Margaery Tyrell does not understand these values. Not only have her and her husband been estranged for months, but the legitimacy of her marriage has always been in question. A woman like her cannot know what policies work best for the families of Westeros. Vote for value, vote for Cersei Lannister."_

"Oh my god, this is fucking ridiculous!" Margaery shouted as she threw her arms into the air. Looking past her political advisor or even the head of her marketing team, Margaery turned to Sansa. "What do you think of this?" 

"Me? I don't think I'm really qualified..." Sansa trailed off a little awkwardly. 

"You don't have to be qualified to have an opinion. I just want to know what you think of the ad, honestly. I won't be mad if you agree with her, either way you're gonna hear me rant about why she's a hypocrite." Margaery looked at Sansa expectantly, hands perched on her hips. 

"I think that it is vague and there to appeal to people who would rather think simply than form complex thoughts," Sansa said quietly. Margaery clapped and walked over to Sansa, pulling her towards the head of the table. "What defines a healthy family anyway?" 

"Exactly!" Margaery exclaimed. Sansa jumped in surprise at the outburst. Margaery had been relatively calm over the course of the meeting, but once she got Sansa talking, Margaery gained quite a bit of excitement. "I can't believe I am going to say this, but after this meeting, get Renly on the phone. Sansa, you are welcome to join me on the call if you'd like to. However, there will be a part that I ask you not to record." 

"Cut it out?" Sansa asked and Margaery nodded. Sansa felt a bit uncomfortable about leaving out a part of the conversation that would no doubt be put into the file, but Sansa was fairly certain that Margaery was a trustworthy person. Margaery ended the meeting and then let Sansa get her recording equipment out. "Can I ask why part of this can't be recorded?" 

"When Renly and I got engaged, at our engagement party, advances were made on me by Renly's nephew Joffrey. With a family that powerful, information like that kills people," Margaery said and Sansa nodded. "Have you met Joffrey? I know that your father and Robert are close." 

"A few times. We have gone vacationing together. He seemed charming at first, but proved to be troubled," Sansa said and Margaery reached out and grabbed Sansa's hands. "I'm sorry for whatever he did to you or tried to do." 

"Life is full of cruelties, but those are the moments that show us who our truest friends are," Margaery said with a small smile. "I'd like to believe that had we known each other, we could have been in each other's corners."

"Renly on line one," Margaery's secretary announced over the phone. Margaery let go of Sansa's hands and then took a seat on the edge of the table. 

"Hello darling," Margaery greeted Renly.


	8. Chapter 8

"This is huge. Dany and I go way back, but I hadn't expected her to be so vocal about this so early on," Margaery told Sansa. The two of them were waiting inside of a car at the nicer of King's Landing's airports. Daenerys Targaryen had come from a disgraced political family, but then she had married into royalty when she was wed to Khal Drogo. She was a Khaleesi and from what Sansa knew about the title, she wore it well. Especially since there was no longer a Khal and the power had been transferred to her. 

"How do you know the Khaleesi?" Sansa asked, curiously. There had not been a Khal or Khaleesi to come to Westeros in centuries. Obviously there was a personal relationship between Daenerys and Margaery that had led to what was definitely a historic event. 

"College semester abroad. I got to meet both Dany and her bastard of a brother. Sadly, I never did get a chance to meet the Khal before he met his end," Margaery answered. There was something Margaery was leaving out, but Sansa didn't think that was important to the story. Today, she was reporting on the meeting between the two women and taking a statement from the Khaleesi. There would be no other news outlets there, not at that meeting at the very least. "Relax, she will love you. I'll tell her how fond of you I've grown these past few weeks." 

"You've grown fond of me?" Sansa was genuinely surprised. Margaery Tyrell was definitely polite and had been made into a publicist's dream. She could be personable with anybody, so Sansa hadn't known what Margaery's genuine thoughts of her were. 

"Of course I have, don't be silly. I like you very much, and I hope that this works out well for you. I'm not always an easy person to be around, but you never complain. Beyond our professional working relationship, I'd love for us to be friends. Real, genuine, _close_ friends." Sansa's heart skipped a beat whenever Margaery had said close. It sounded dangerous, like perhaps another meaning was hidden inside of it. Sansa smiled and shook her head a little, clearing out the thought of a nonprofessional and romantic relationship with Margaery. 

"Open up!" Daenerys yelled as she knocked on Margaery's window. Margaery unbuckled herself, opened up the door, and then scooted into the middle seat. The subtle scent of roses had been present in the car before, but now that was all that Sansa could smell. With Margaery closer to her, there was an added warmth to the scent that hadn't previously been there. "Oh you gorgeous bitch, it's been too long. Why didn't you visit me?" 

"You were grieving and coming into a position of power. Best not to add my trouble into the mix," Margaery said with a laugh. She composed herself and then turned to look at Sansa. "This is Sansa Stark, the reporter that Tyrion assigned to me. So far she's published nothing but kind words about me, and I think if she keeps it up, I'll be completely buried by my love for her." 

"Those are not declarations easily made for Maggie," Daenerys said and Sansa blushed. Dany extended her hand towards Sansa and Sansa accepted the handshake. 

"It is an honor Khaleesi," Sansa bowed her head. Daenerys and Margaery shared a look before both of them burst into fits of laughter. "Did I do something wrong?" 

"She is absolutely adorable," Daenerys said and Margaery glanced over at Sansa for a moment. It was clear that the Stark woman was somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed, so Margaery placed a comforting hand on her knee. Sansa was quiet for the rest of the car ride while Margaery and Daenerys caught up with each other. Sansa got the vibe that at one point, they had a very physical relationship with one another. She could always ask Margaery for confirmation about that later, but Sansa didn't really think that it was any of her business really. 

"Sansa, are you okay? You've been awfully quiet," Margaery asked, turning her head to speak quietly. Sansa nodded and offered Margaery a small smile. Margaery's hand moved from Sansa's knee to the younger woman's lap so that Margaery could hold Sansa's hand. "If you're nervous, I can give you a moment alone with Dany to get better acquainted." 

"I promise I'm fine," Sansa told Margaery. For a couple of seconds, Margaery stared at Sansa with narrowed eyes, not believing the story. Sansa's heartbeat increased a little under Margaery's gaze, but then Margaery had decided to her off the hook. 

* * *

"With how they have you travelling back and forth Ned, we might as well get a house in King's Landing!" Catelyn exclaimed as she watched her husband pack a bag. He was flying in to do a political talk show. They were supposed to ask him about how he felt his son was doing in his first couple months in his new position and then he'd weigh in on who he thought deserved to win the council election. People expected him to say Cersei because of his connection to Cersei's husband, but Ned wasn't really sure. Despite the fact that he wasn't necessarily a fan of Tyrion Lannister's news outlet, he had been following every word that Sansa wrote about Margaery Tyrell. 

She was young, but had her grandmother's prowess and steady head. The plan for a tour of Westeros to get a better grasp on what the country needed was definitely a new approach that he respected. If what Sansa had written was anything to go on, Margaery was somebody who would listen to the people, but also stick to what she believed was right. There was also what Sansa had told her parents whenever they'd asked about her work. Sansa obviously liked Margaery to some degree and the woman was somewhat protective of Sansa when it came to meetings and brainstorming sessions. 

"It's one night. I won't even really need a hotel, this is just for the show." Ned held up his white button up and black slacks that he'd wear on the show. "I've got a flight, gotta do the show, and then I'll be on my way back here, I swear." 

"You're not gonna check up on our girls Ned?" Catelyn asked and Ned shook his head. "You aren't worried about them?" 

"I am always worried about our children Cat. I just need to trust that they can take care of themselves. Arya has made friends already, hate to say it, but many more than Sansa managed to do down there," Ned said and Catelyn swatted at him. In Winterfell, Sansa had always been the popular one, but it seemed that there were more people who could get along with Arya further down south. 

"Well, Sansa met the Khaleesi. Apparently, she and the Tyrell girl go way back," Catelyn read from her phone. "I think Sansa was jealous." 

"Jealous?" Ned turned around for a moment, facing his wife to make sure he had heard her correctly. 

"Yes, jealous Ned. Like how you get jealous when the pizza boy compliments me when I answer the door," Catelyn said and Ned scoffed. 

"I do not get jealous of that boy," Ned huffed. Catelyn smirked, obviously a little amused at how her husband reacted. Whether Sansa knew it or not, that was a trait she'd gotten from her father. If Catelyn was being completely honest, she was sure every Stark had it. Even mild-mannered Jon Snow, but the fact that his wife Ygritte also had it, Catelyn betted that it was a northerner thing. "What does he have on me?" 

"Ned, things like that do not happen outside of porn," Catelyn reassured her husband. "They'll ask you to take a stance with one of those women tomorrow." 

"Oh I know," Ned sighed. 

"As of now, it makes sense with Cersei's family angle, but that woman isn't consistent. Margaery hasn't aired anything yet." Catelyn wrapped her arm under Ned's and around his chest as she laid her head on his shoulder. "But from what Sansa says about her, she's going to be good for the country." 

"She's carrying a much more respectable legacy, one carved out with a heavy importance. The Lannisters are a founding family, old money founded in politics," Ned pointed out. 

"Don't think about legacies, who do you trust?" Catelyn asked and Ned sighed. "Not me, not Sansa, not anybody else. You, Ned, just you." 

"But I can't make this decision for me, that's selfish Cat. I need to think about you, our kids, and their kids. The council is essentially a permanent position. Cersei has experience, but she's out of touch with the commonwealth," Ned said and Catelyn smiled as she pressed a kiss into his shoulder. "I've got to get going now. It's an early call time." 

"Call me when you land," Catelyn told her husband as he walked out the door. 

* * *

"I'm really happy that we did this," Renly said as he and Loras were led to their table. The waiter left them menus and then went to grab complimentary glasses of water and a list of drinks they could order. 

"Yes, but did you have to pick the restaurant that your wedding rehearsal dinner took place?" Loras asked as he looked around. Loras had passed this place almost every single day on his way to work before Margaery moved back to King's Landing. He never took her by this place. It may have been nice and the waitresses definitely liked Margaery, as well as the chef, but there were a lot of memories here that Loras feared would upset his sister. 

"And the engagement party. They made us those little rose-shaped cakes with chocolate antlers sticking out of the sides. It was really a wonderful party." Renly smiled to himself as he thought about that night. That night had brought Margaery and Renly closer than any other in their relationship had. Renly had confessed to Margaery then that he hadn't been truthful about himself in the beginning. Margaery had simply just poured the two of them a glass of wine and held him as he got drunk and recounted essentially his entire life's story to her. In the morning, Margaery had ordered them a room service breakfast from the hotel they'd been staying at and told him that they were a lot more alike than he realized. 

"You know, even if she wasn't in love with you, you broke my sister's heart when you left," Loras said, interrupting Renly's pleasant little recount. 

"Yes, but I also saved her from having her trust completely destroyed. I mean, where were you those for few months Loras? Surely she's asked you about your little trips or does she even know about them?" Renly asked and Loras cleared his throat. Renly had a point, if Margaery learned that Loras had gone with Renly or gone to visit him, her trust in either man would have been gone. Margaery hated being lied to or kept in the dark, which was what both men did under the guise of sparing her feelings, which made it even worse. 

"Mr. Baratheon, a word please?" Renly turned to see Tywin Lannister standing right behind him. It definitely spooked Renly. Tywin Lannister was an intimidating man who Renly knew firsthand would do almost anything to make sure that his family's name stayed out of any sort of mud. 

"I'll be right back," Renly excused himself. He followed Tywin out of the restaurant and into his car, which was parked outside. Once the two men were seated, Tywin handed Renly an envelope. "What are you paying me off for now?" 

"Divorce her. Make it messy, give me a good scandal. The worse she looks coming out of it, the more that finds its way into your pockets," Tywin promised. 

"Loras can't know I'm doing this. I love him, I couldn't lose him," Renly said and Tywin just gave him a singular nod. "I'll see what kind of mess we can make out of this." 

"You, not we," Tywin corrected. "No, go. I must deal with your baffoon of an older brother." 


	9. Chapter 9

It was deliberate. There was no way that damaging information about Margaery Tyrell came out the night before Cersei went on a morning talk show on accident. Tyrion thought it was a low blow, and yet, his father and sister would go even lower. Margaery's arrest as a teenager was public knowledge, but this was the first time that the details had gotten out. The case was expunged legally and Margaery had more than done her service to the community since then. However, there had been quieter little things that hadn't made it to the headlines because it either happened in another country or it just hadn't been seen as a big deal. 

Tyrion knew that his father and sister were behind this. It was almost like they forgot that he had been there whenever Tywin was at the height of his political career. Tyrion knew the places where his family liked to leak information. A tabloid disguised as a legitimate news outlet was perfect for what they wanted to do. Tyrion guessed that if Tywin and Cersei did enough early on, Margaery would be discouraged and drop out. If they wanted to play things dirty, then Tyrion would make sure that Margaery knew that she would always have someone supporting her integrity. 

"Meeting, I've got cuts to make!" Tyrion yelled out of his office. People came rushing in, knowing that meant a meeting of sorts. "Cersei's campaign team. I know the game that is being played and I will not support it. Give me a final article on this with your honest opinions and then you are free to pick up your own projects and pitches. From now on, Cersei Lannister does not get front page privileges. It's attention she wants, so it's attention we're taking from her." 

* * *

"And we're on in 5...4...3...2..." Cersei looked away from the camera guy and over to the two hosts sitting across from her. Wake Up Westeros was one of the biggest morning talk shows in the country. Tywin had pulled a few strings to get her there and across from Petyr Baelish and Varys. Both men were unreliable at best. Petyr was essentially a puppet there to push whatever Tywin wanted him to and Varys was a terrible gossip. In fact, Varys was often a middleman in leaking stories. Nobody asked where his information came from because it was always attention-grabbing and true enough to be difficult to refute. Both men had made their fortunes and names off the back of "helping" Tywin Lannister run things how he wanted them. 

"Hello Westeros, we are here with councilwoman candidate Cersei Lannister. Cersei, there hasn't been a woman on the council since the days of powerhouse politician Olenna Tyrell. Are you worried that her granddaughter Margaery being your opponent puts you at a disadvantage?" Varys asked. Cersei took a couple of seconds to think of a response and then answered, just like her father had told her to do beforehand. It couldn't look like it was set up or people would grow suspicious. 

"Not at all. Margaery has the name yes, but a name does not get you everywhere. Something I believe that girl has yet to learn. Whatever advantage her name gets her, my experience in this business takes care of with ease," Cersei answered. She kept her voice even and her breathing quiet. 

"Well, your confidence is definitely inspiring. Maybe you can offer her some advice because it seems that she's got a bit of a record with trouble," Petyr suggested. Behind the camera, Tywin nodded. His hand was covering up his smile, but Cersei knew that he was happy with how things were going. 

"If you look at her records, it is obvious that change is not something that she is capable of doing. I mean, the arrests stopped around the same time that she got married, but they started up again after her husband left her and she ran back to Highgarden. I suppose it is easier for things to be swept under the rug there. It proves that she is just a girl, someone who cannot understand the sacrifices that must be made to support a family, nevertheless a country." 

"Thank you for your time. When we come back, we'll get to meet some of this week's King's Landing heroes." 

* * *

Sansa was nervous when she came over to Margaery's to record the meeting that day. She had seen the Wake Up Westeros interview that Cersei did and she'd read the article published detailing Margaery's apparent record. All of this came just over a week after Sansa's father had backed Margaery on national television. The celebration over Margaery bringing the Khaleesi over was done with now that everybody was thinking that Margaery Tyrell was some sort or rampant criminal. And as nervous as all of what was happening made Sansa, she was angry that so many people would just believe what they heard without asking where the information had come from. 

Tyrion had called Sansa in, telling her that if she needed to be a friend first, that was always an option. Apparently Margaery had spoken to Tyrion about her fondness for the Stark girl and that brought Sansa's nerves up over her anger. So, as Sansa drove from the King's Report building to Margaery's home, her hands were shaking. Sansa pulled into Margaery's driveway and parked in the spot that had been sort of taped off just for her. Margaery did a lot of things like that for Sansa, little things that would help to make her day a lot easier. Sansa hadn't really tried being Margaery's friend if she was being honest, but Sansa did consider Margaery too close to not be a friend. With a deep breath to calm herself, Sansa got out of her car and went straight to the room designated to meetings about campaign stuff. 

"Sansa, Tyrion got ahold of you right?" Margaery asked as she moved around the room quickly. 

"Yes, I just came from there actually," Sansa told Margaery. "He told me to tell you how sorry he is for what his sister is trying to do to you." 

"And I'm sure once everybody leaves you'll reiterate his parts of the conversation we had in the morning," Margaery predicted with a practiced smile. It was true, Sansa was to, in private, let Margaery know how he legitimately felt about the new situation. "Take a seat, we've got to start damage control. This will affect what you write today. I hope you don't mind it." 

"No, whatever you need from me today, I can do," Sansa promised. For a moment, Margaery's eyes twinkled with genuine happiness before a focused haze took them over. Sansa was not exactly an easily exhausted person. She usually had a lot of energy, which went directly into whatever she needed it to. The way that Margaery moved around the room and switched from idea to idea drained Sansa to her core. 

"Sansa?" Margaery asked, leaning down in front of her. In the 45 minutes that Sansa had been at Margaery's, that was the first time she'd seen her standing still for more than 10 seconds. Margaery brought her hand up to rest on Sansa's chin as she stared into Sansa's eyes. "You look tired. I'm not overworking you am I?" 

"Not at all, I'm fine. I swear." It was a lie, but Margaery took her at her work and then continued. Sansa struggled to keep up the notes for the last 30 or so minutes, but luckily she was recording everything as well. One by one, the staff left Margaery's house until it was just Sansa and Margaery. 

"May I look at your notes?" Margaery asked and Sansa nodded. Sansa passed the pad of paper over to her and Margaery looked over them. Sansa noticed that all of the energy Margaery had before was still there, just focused now. "You know what kind of sucks about this whole thing?" 

"Huh?" 

"I wouldn't be able to explain myself without having her saying that I'm mentally ill or unfit for the job. It's funny though because the woman pops pills like it's candy when she's really stressed. Robert called Renly and I on our honeymoon because he was worried about her. I have dirt on her from just being an in-law and I wouldn't use that on her. She knows that I can't explain my DUI because then I'd have to admit that I had to have anxiety medication switched before my engagement because I was terrified," Margaery said, sniffling a little. She set down Sansa's notes and then scooted off of the table and began walking upstairs. Sansa gathered her things and followed Margaery upstairs. "Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?" 

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Sansa answered. She watched Margaery, who was still sort of moving, even as she stood still. She was rubbing the inside of her wrist as she watched the water boiling in the kettle. Sansa wondered how Margaery was holding up so well because she had to have seen the things that people were now bringing up. "I think that you can come back from this. People will realize that she's just a bully and nobody likes a bully, not really." 

"You're sweet Sansa, maybe a little naïve, but sweet. Right now I'm down and she'll keep kicking at me until I drop out," Margaery said and Sansa sighed. "Just you wait, something bigger will come when I find my footing." 

"Well luckily you don't have to stand on your own. Winterfell is behind you, my dad said so. King's Report is behind you. Highgarden is behind you. And if all of that support isn't enough, then remember that I'll be there too," Sansa promised. 

* * *

Two cups of tea later and Sansa had left for the day. Margaery decided that one of them should get to enjoy their day. Sure, she had lied to Sansa and said that Loras and Renly were coming to check up on her. Margaery had specifically told her brother and husband to stay away from her house for the day. She wanted to be completely alone for a little while. So, she turned her phone off, drank two bottles of some expensive and disgusting shit that her father had kept in his old office, and laid down on the couch. She could have laid there and wallowed in self-pity, but she just laid there until she felt angry again. 

"Fucking cunt!" Margaery shouted as she threw a bottle across the room. It slammed against the wall and shattered, glass now littering her floor. Margaery stood up and stumbled up the stairs to her dad's old office and just started to absolutely trash it. She wasn't sure how long she was in there, but when she woke up, she was in the backseat of Loras' car with a headache. 

"You just about gave that Stark girl a heart attack," Loras chided. "Tyrion called you. I called you. Renly called you. Robert called you. Fucking Grandma called you twice Marg. Sansa called you like 10 times and then she went over there. How much did you drink?"

"No clue," Margaery grumbled. "Where are we going?" 

"Back to my place while a cleaning crew takes care of the damage that you did," Loras told her. "I gave Sansa my address so she could come and check on you. She genuinely likes you Marg, I don't know what you've done." 

"Because how could anybody possibly like Margaery Tyrell?" Margaery asked bitterly. Loras sighed and pulled into a McDonald's. "What are we doing here?" 

"I'm getting a Happy Meal so you'll shut up and stop being so bitter. It's not a good look on you," Loras said and Margaery kicked at his seat. "Also you're acting like a damn child. Now, chocolate milk or juice box?" 

"Chocolate milk," Margaery answered.


	10. Chapter 10

Growing up in the Baratheon house, Renly had learned how to keep things from the people closest to him. This was a secret that he wasn't sure that he wanted to keep though. He didn't even really want to bring up divorce with Margaery, not with Cersei's attacks on Margaery's character. Besides, Margaery Tyrell was not a woman who forgave those who truly hurt her easily. He knew that things were still tense with Loras and Margaery because of him, so he had to make it known if he even gave her the divorce papers that Loras had nothing to do with their divorce. Not now anyways. 

"What are you thinking about?" Loras asked Renly. It wasn't uncommon for Loras to wake up early in the mornings, but Renly was rarely awake before him. 

"This campaign is going to be the death of someone," Renly said and Loras huffed in agreement. It had been taking a toll on the Tyrell man. Between Margaery trying to freeze him out and Olenna pressuring him to stay with her at all times, he was wearing himself thin. Renly had noticed that he hadn't been eating as much and that he was generally a bit more irritable than usual. "How are you doing dear?" 

"I'll be relieved when all this business is over and I can take a vacation somewhere nice. Margaery says that she knows a few places where the cameras can't get to us," Loras said. Renly gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'd like it if you came with me. Even if it'll take time, we're getting to a good place together. I think by the time this is all over, we'll be able to be together a little more." 

"I don't know. I may be a councilwoman's husband, there are appearances to keep up," Renly joked. Loras gave a dry laugh and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I may need security. I hear that opposers can be quite violent." 

"I know a good security guy. Margaery may describe him as a meathead though." 

"Just my type," Renly said with a wink. 

* * *

"Ned come here, Sansa wants to come talk to you!" Catelyn called out to her husband. Sansa's weekly video calls had picked up once again at the insistence of her mother. Ned knew that Catelyn was only pushing Sansa to keep in touch more often because Arya had already stopped calling her mother. Occasionally, she'd text in an update on how she was doing, but other than that, Ned and Catelyn were left to worry. Sansa had always been better with Catelyn's "rules" because she hadn't figured out that most of Catelyn's punishments were just bluffs. 

"I'm coming. Give me a minute," Ned said as he got out of his chair. He had been perfectly happy with their old furniture, but Catelyn had insisted that they get new because now that the kids were either old enough not to ruin it or out of the house, she could decorate how she'd always wanted. Ned shuffled into the room where his wife was sitting in front of the computer where Sansa sat in her apartment on the screen. "I'm surprised you've got time to chat with us little folks up here in Winterfell with all those articles you've been writing." 

"I'd rather not talk about work right now Dad," Sansa said and Ned nodded. Catelyn moved so that Ned could sit down and then walked out of the room. "Can you promise me that if I tell you something, you won't tell mom?" 

"Why can't I tell your mother Sansa?" Ned asked. He loved Sansa, she was his little girl in almost every way except for the fact that she was a grown woman now. However, he also knew that Sansa would have rather told almost anything to her mother before she told him. Fathers could be overprotective and Ned had always tried to make up for whatever protection Sansa couldn't provide herself. "What is this about?" 

"When I was 13 and we spent that time in King's Landing." Sansa looked down and scratched the side of her neck. "You have to promise you won't tell mom. I don't want her to know that I lied to her." 

"Sansa, out with it. This can stay between us until you're ready to tell her," Ned said calmly. 

"I didn't trip down the hill, Joffrey pushed me because I wouldn't let him touch me," Sansa confessed quickly. Ned didn't know what to say, but he did know that it was important he not have an outburst. At his lack of response, Sansa began to panic a bit. "I'm sorry that I lied to you, please don't be mad." 

"Sansa, you can't possibly think that out of all of that, you telling a little lie was what I'm upset about," Ned sighed. Sansa wouldn't meet his eye and for a moment, Ned wished that he could have called Catelyn in. He was a good father and he always tried, but with Sansa, there was always a bit of difficulty. Sansa was sensitive, much more than any of Ned's other children, so he had to stop and think about how to talk to her about things. "I'll have words with Robert, I can assure of that." 

"I didn't tell him. I didn't tell anybody. Joffrey threatened that he'd have Sandor come after me if I did," Sansa said quickly. Had Sansa not been so young then, she wouldn't have believed Joffrey. Yes, Sandor had been hired on to protect Joffrey, but the boy did not have the power over that man to make him cause harm to Sansa. If he had, chances were that Sansa wouldn't have just been pushed down the hill. 

"That boy is in a mess of trouble, I can assure you of that Sansa. If you can, go spend some time with Robb or Arya. Find comfort where you know it's safe. I'll try to be in King's Landing next week," Ned said and Sansa nodded. 

"Can you let mom back in?" Sansa asked and Ned nodded. 

"Had enough of your old man, huh?" he joked, hoping to lighten the mood. 

"I don't think you would care to talk about editing programs would you?" Sansa asked and Ned shook his head. "Thought as much. Dad, thank you for not freaking out." 

"Sansa, you've done nothing wrong," Ned reassured his daughter. "I'll go get your mom. Bye Sans, I'll talk to you later. Love you little one." 

Bye Dad, I love you too."

* * *

The weekend had been uneventful in terms of news getting out. Cersei had been attacking Margaery on social media, but after a few hours of it, Margaery had just thrown her phone into the hot tub. Normally, Margaery would have just turned her phone off, but she hadn't been in a necessarily stable state of mind. Drunk Margaery didn't stop to think about how bad her decisions were in the moment. Sober Margaery could work on getting her phone back later. 

"Fucking hell," Margaery groaned as she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked like she had been through the ringer a few times. There was either dried blood or wine down the front of her shirt. Tyrells generally knew how to handle their alcohol, but Margaery had taken things to a completely new level. She'd only blacked out once or twice before in her entire life. Then, it'd been just a few hours out of her night, but Margaery knew from the state of her house and her head that it had to have been longer than just one night. 

Margaery searched through her bathroom cabinet for some painkillers, took them, put on a sweater to avoid getting a chill, and then made her way downstairs. It looked sort of like she might have had a party, but Margaery honestly didn't know enough people to have a party. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought that she would have found Daenerys passed out on her kitchen island with a mess of red cups on the floor. Instead, she was met with broken glass and a badly written note about picking up a new phone. 

"Yeah, fuck this," Margaery said as she looked around her living room. She laid out on the couch, turned on the TV, and waited for the medicine she'd taken earlier to clear up her headache. 

_"And it has been radio silence from Margaery Tyrell as Cersei Lannister accuses the woman of flirting with and assaulting her son at the younger woman's engagement party. The video was released by an unknown source after Margaery Tyrell questioned Lannister's ability to run the country with good values if she hadn't been able to "raise her son to be a decent human being.""_

"Nope." Margaery turned off her television and started cleaning up the mess she'd made of her home.


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay, you've been MIA for long enough!" Loras yelled as he ran into his sister's house. Margaery had been pretty quiet for the entire weekend and Loras had given her until Tuesday to show herself again. 

"Quiet!" Margaery hissed at her brother. Loras spun around, trying to find his sister until he saw her mopping up spilled liquid on the floor. 

"Is that blood on your shirt?" Loras asked and Margaery shrugged. 

"Mind giving me a hand?" Margaery asked. Loras nodded and took the towel from her. Margaery ran to get some paper towels and a trash bag. "Before you ask, no I don't know what I did. Yes, I did see the news. No, I'm not dignifying that with a formal response." 

"Good, that covers my PR based questions," Loras said with a dry chuckle. "Now, are you okay? Seriously, this can't be easy on you. They've got your dirty laundry and they're making more when you bounce back." 

"The marriage thing was low. This Joffrey business is nasty, but I'll turn it into something positive once I get another phone. Mine's in the jacuzzi." Margaery glanced at her brother, gauging his reaction. Loras had seen Margaery go through quite a bit, but she'd always came back from it. It really amazed Loras, especially since he knew just how sensitive his sister actually was. 

"I'll get it and then we can go to the store and get you a new one. Go upstairs and make yourself look semi-human please. There are paps waiting at the end of the street," Loras told Margaery. She got up and ran upstairs to get ready. Loras quickly cleaned up Margaery's house as much as he could while she got ready before he grabbed her phone out of the hot tub to see if maybe it'd work. Unsurprisingly, it did not. In fact, it looked like it'd been thrown from high up because it was absolutely shattered. "Did you yeet it off the fucking roof Mags?" 

"Um, either the roof or the master bedroom balcony," Margaery said as she grabbed her coat off the coat rack. Loras got the door for her and the two of them walked out to his car. "It was not a good couple of nights for me. I'd been drinking since Friday afternoon." 

"It's Tuesday morning," Loras said and Margaery nodded. "You were drunk for like 3 days." 

"Sometimes you need to go on a bender to make yourself feel better." 

"How do you feel exactly?" Loras asked as he started the car. 

"Like I've been hit by a truck," Margaery mused. The two of them drove around downtown before Loras found a good place for them to get coffees. "How are you and the traitor doing?" 

"He's not a traitor Mags. It wasn't a good situation for anybody, but we're doing good. When all of this campaign bullshit is over, we should take a vacation. I'm sure that Dany's invited you to stay in the royal chambers with her." Margaery rolled her eyes at Loras' comment. Sure, there may have been a time when Margaery would have jumped at the chance to go spend an unspecified amount of time locked in a bedroom with Daenerys, but both of them were older now. Besides, Margaery had noticed how much she was enjoying Sansa Stark's company. 

"Actually, I'd much rather go to Winterfell and have Sansa show me around. There's something about northern girls that I've been missing out on," Margaery joked as she raised her glass. 

"Please do not ruin that poor girl. You don't realize it sometimes, but you aren't always good for certain people." 

* * *

Sansa waited awkwardly with her father for Robert to arrive. Ned had offered to let Sansa stay home for this, but Sansa believed that she needed to be there. With the leaked video from Margaery and Renly's engagement party, Sansa wanted to make sure that Robert didn't try to have this swept under the rug. Robert Baratheon had always been good to them, but Tyrion had warned her about dealing with people heavily influenced by Tywin Lannister. 

"Sansa, honey, would you like a glass of water?" Ned asked. 

"No thank you, I've still got the one from when you asked 3 minutes ago," Sansa said as she checked her watch. 

"Ned!" Robert bellowed. Ned stood up from his seat to greet his old friend. Both men turned to Sansa, who stood up and held her hand out for Robert to shake. "You've been a busy girl these days. Well, woman I should say. I swear it was barely a year ago that you just up to my knees." 

"They grow up quickly," Ned said somberly. "That's not why we're here though. Come on, sit down." 

"Serious talk?" Robert asked and Ned nodded. "Cersei hasn't gone and said something about your daughter has she?" 

"Not yet," Sansa cleared up. "This is actually about Joffrey." 

"What's the boy gotten himself into this time?" Robert asked. He instantly seemed exhausted at the appearance of his son's name in the conversation. 

"That stint when I was your advisor and the girls came to stay with me, your son laid hands on my daughter," Ned said seriously. Sansa noticed how his voice stayed even, which hers would not have. Sansa knew that she could be sensitive and tended to let her emotions come to the surface. Catelyn had reassured her several times that it was nothing to be ashamed of, but Sansa couldn't help but wish that sometimes she'd gotten a little more of that Stark blood her siblings boasted about. 

"He seems to have a problem with keeping his hands to himself," Robert said through grit teeth. "I would really rather us deal with this instead of bringing in lawyers and press." 

"That bit isn't up to me," Ned said, glancing over at Sansa. "But there's not a lot that can be done. Not really." 

"Just tell the truth, get your wife to tell the truth. Dragging Margaery's name through the mud isn't going to do anything when people realize how dirty Cersei's name is too," Sansa said and both Ned and Robert seemed stunned. "If you don't mind, I've got a deadline coming up. It was nice seeing you Uncle Robert. Dad, if you're staying the night in King's Landing, I'd love to get breakfast tomorrow before I go to Margaery's." 

* * *

Sansa pinched the bridge of her nose as another song started playing. Jeyne had a boy over. Some guy who might have went to college with them that she'd picked up on her way home. Sansa didn't understand how Jeyne constantly seemed to find people that she knew or wanted to know better. Sansa didn't judge her, at least one of them should be enjoying their youth. Sansa just wished that maybe sometimes Jeyne's nightly companions could have taken her back to their place. 

"Quiet down!" Sansa yelled as she hit the wall. That seemed to do the opposite of what she wanted. Through the music, Sansa could hear Jeyne's bed creaking. Sansa gagged and put earbuds in. She managed to get a good amount of work done before Jeyne's bed started to bang against the wall. "Fucking hell." 

Sansa pulled out her earbuds and set them on her desk. She saved her work on her computer before opening her door. Just as she stepped into the hallway, the guy Jeyne had been with stumbled out of Jeyne's room. Sansa had definitely seen him before, but she couldn't remember his name. He looked her up and down and Sansa just pushed past him and closed Jeyne's door so that they could have some privacy. 

"Do you mind maybe keeping it down?" Sansa asked Jeyne. "I've really got to finish up a really important article by tonight so I can present it to Tyrion tomorrow." 

"It's fine, we're done. He's leaving and I'm probably gonna order in some takeout," Jeyne said. "You should really relax though, I mean all you ever do is work." 

"Because it keeps the bills paid Jeyne," Sansa told the other girl. 

"It's not a big deal if you miss one deadline. Besides, even if you didn't have a job, you're a Stark. You act like it's the worst thing ever that you've got a trust fund." 

"I don't need that money if I can make my own. You don't get it Jeyne, I don't want to always be Catelyn and Ned Stark's daughter. I want to be Sansa Stark, my own fucking person!" Sansa yelled and Jeyne scoffed. "What?" 

"You're too much of a people pleaser to really go be your own person. When you realize that, you can running back to Winterfell." 

"I'd say to get fucked, but it seems you've already done that," Sansa said as she left Jeyne's room. Sansa packed up her laptop and a few other things into a backpack and then went down to the parking lot. She sat in her car for about 30 minutes before she started it and just started driving. Sansa didn't mean to end up at Margaery's, but she did anyways. Maybe she recognized something in Margaery that was also in her or maybe she saw something special that she wished she had as well. 

"Sansa, what are you doing out here?" Margaery answered the door. "Come in, come in." 

"I'm sorry. I just sort of left and started driving. I can go, I should probably go, it's late." Sansa turned around, but Margaery kept her in place. 

"Don't be silly, you're upset and in obvious need of a good friend. We don't know each other too well, but this is as good a time as any to change that," Margaery told Sansa. The two of them went inside and Margaery put on a kettle for tea. "You know, I really am in your debt. Every single time Cersei tries pushing me out of the race, you write something in rebuttal that keeps me from stumbling too far behind." 

"It's easy to defend someone who's genuinely good," Sansa said. 

"Did you just quote your mother?" Margaery asked and Sansa shrugged. "That's adorable. Sometimes I wish that my mother had been there more. Willas says that Loras and I are lucky that we don't remember much before we lived with our grandma. He's the normal one though, which he doesn't get sometimes. He's got his job, his wife, and they're happy. One day, I want that too I think." 

"Well you've got a promising career, a husband, and I'm sure when the campaign is over, you'll be happier," Sansa offered. 

"I don't think I want to be a career politician though unless I'm really doing something. If I'm being honest, I don't want a husband. I never did, but sometimes when you're young, you let other people make your decisions for you. Even though it hurts, don't make my mistakes Sansa," Margaery warned. "Because then you'll sign away your happiness and ruin one of the best things you had going for you." 

"Were you in love with someone else?" Sansa asked and Margaery nodded. "Daenerys?" 

"Before she'd met the Khal, yes. There was another woman, Brienne. That was during my first job in King's Landing after college, when Renly and I were first sort of getting together. Brienne and I weren't going anywhere, I knew that, but she was amazing. She didn't feel the same way as me, but she still took great care with me. Have you ever been in love Sansa?" 

"I don't think so. Not real love anyways. Maybe I have, but I didn't know it," Sansa said and Margaery poured the boiling water into the cups. "I've got this idea of what it's supposed to be in my head." 

"That's your first mistake, love with your heart, trust with your head," Margaery said with a wink. "Come on, I think we've both earned a bit of time to wind down."


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a very clear message to Renly. A red envelope with the Lannister seal placed under Renly's windshield wipers. He had been dreading this day, when Tywin decided that he'd been kept waiting long enough. Renly quickly took the envelope and hid it inside of his coat as he slipped into his car. There was no way Renly was taking this inside of the apartment. He'd be having to find himself a new apartment very soon because there was no way that Loras would have him once Renly served Margaery the divorce papers. If he did, once the fight between them started, Loras would have to kick him to the curb. 

Renly knew that Loras and Margaery, in the end, was a more important relationship for Loras to keep. The two of them had been through hell together dealing with the mess that was their parental situation. The two of them had always leaned on each other. Whenever they weren't on good terms, it destroyed the both of them the longer it went on. Renly had seen Loras mope around when he'd come back and it had been heartbreaking. Renly remembered how Margaery had been whenever Loras stopped talking to her over some fight at their grandmother's. 

"How did he even get these?" Renly asked as he looked at the photos in the envelope. There was a copy of the divorce papers inside as well with a note that he had until midnight to bring them to a lawyer. Renly sighed and kept the divorce papers out as he slid the photos under his seat. They'd be safe there while he drove to Margaery's and served her with the papers. Then, he'd go somewhere and burn the pictures before returning home. 

Renly's heart was racing for the entirety of his drive to Margaery's. Margaery Tyrell was a scary woman, but Tywin Lannister worked in places Olenna made sure to keep Margaery away from. The old woman was no stranger to playing political games, but there were places that she refused to cross out of integrity. There were times when he wished that he and his brother Robert had married into different families. There would be no way that Renly could bear to face his soon to be ex-grandmother-in-law before he cleared up the situation with Margaery. It was no secret that Margaery had always been Olenna's favorite grandchild. 

"Renly, what are you doing here?" Margaery asked Renly. He'd been expecting her to be inside of her home, enjoying a cup of tea or maybe a glass of wine. Instead, she was standing outside washing her car. "I suppose this is a surprise." 

"Mags, I'm sorry, but I'd really like for you to sign these," Renly said as he handed over the divorce papers. "I think that it's best. This way, we can both move on from the past. We can stop lying about ourselves." 

"Renly, I don't think that I'll ever really be able to be myself," Margaery said as she signed her name on the line. She smiled a little as she handed him the paper, no idea the hell that would be unleashed afterwards. "Enjoy your freedom though. Take good care of Loras, he's a very sweet and sensitive boy." 

"He told me something like that to me one day about you," Renly said with a nervous chuckle. Margaery took a step away from his car and let Renly drive away. Margaery's wasn't upset about the end of their marriage, it'd never really been legitimate to begin with. Besides, that did not necessarily mean that their friendship was over in any capacity. They just didn't have to awkwardly be affectionate at public events anymore. 

* * *

"Mr. Lannister, we have another account coming in," Tyrion's secretary alerted him. Tyrion rubbed his eyes as he opened up another email. What should have been a low and dirty blow from Cersei against Margaery had backfired. Instead of Westeros slut shaming the younger woman, they had come out in support of her. Sure, some people had been dicks about the situation, but for the most part, Tyrion was impressed by the unity the people were showing. Tyrion planned on running as many of the stories as he could. It did not matter whether or not his father tried to blacklist him. These stories were important and his family had been covering up Joffrey's cruelty for far too long. 

"Come in," Tyrion answered to the knocking on his door. He had not expected Sansa Stark to come into the office until the next meeting. "Ms. Stark, what a lovely surprise. What can I do for you?" 

"I, um, I have a story for you," Sansa said as she held her a folder with a shaky hand. Tyrion could sense that this made the girl incredibly nervous. Whatever she'd written was serious and the fact she hadn't emailed it to him meant she didn't want it being intercepted. "I know that tons of people are already coming and talking about things they'd seen Joffrey do or that they have had done to them by him. It isn't much, but I'd really like to be able to publish it if that's okay with you. Maybe, if I'm not too busy with Margaery, I could interview some of the people coming forward, as well?" 

"I'll talk with Margaery about splitting your time a bit. I wouldn't want to push you too hard. Margaery says that she thinks you work too hard already," Tyrion said as he opened up the folder. 

"Please, not while I'm still here. Can I go stand outside or something? You can call me in when you're finished," Sansa said and Tyrion nodded. The Stark girl walked out of Tyrion's office and shut the door behind her. Tyrion read over the piece that Sansa had written, put a sticky note on it that said "front page" and then set it on top of the pile of things that'd go in that week's print. That article was perfect for the monthly. They'd be breaking stories about Joffrey and Sansa had written a piece that addressed so much more than just what had happened to her. She had also done it in a way that did not come across as bitter, but rather like a young woman shedding the shame of a situation that hadn't been her fault, not really. 

"You may have just won yourself an award with that piece you gave me. I'd like to use it for the front page, it is a perfect introduction to the issue being brought up," Tyrion said and Sansa was shocked. 

"Are you sure that it is good enough for the front page?" Sansa asked and Tyrion nodded. "Y-you don't have to flatter me. I wouldn't want to use my name to get ahead." 

"Your name means nothing. Yes, you are a Stark. Yes, your mother is Catelyn Tully. Neither of those things matter when it comes to this place. The way that you write, it will surely pave the way for your name to truly mean something one day." Sansa nodded slowly as she mulled over Tyrion's words. Normally, she would have questioned him, but there was something about the conviction in his voice that told Sansa he was being truthful with her. 

"Thank you sir." 

"I am not dignified enough to warrant sir. Tyrion is fine." 

* * *

Margaery had, foolishly, woken up optimistic about her day. She and Renly were no longer technically married, Loras had come over to make her breakfast, and King's Report was starting to release stories about people's run-ins and experiences with Joffrey and other Lannisters. Olenna had even called Margaery to congratulate her on that morning's poll reports. The election was still in its early stages, but people were starting to look past Cersei's claims that Margaery couldn't run Westeros because she wasn't a "family woman" or whatever. 

"Where is your little reporter girl?" Loras asked Margaery. Loras had stopped by a couple of times over the course of the week and hadn't seen Margaery more than fifteen feet away from Sansa at any given moment. "You scare her off?" 

"I did no such thing. She went out on a run with her sister this morning and then stopped by her job to do a video interview or something," Margaery answered. "She does not need to follow me around constantly. We have lives away from each other brother. Just as I am sure you and Renly do." 

"He's been secretive about something lately. I don't get it, the two of you split and he starts avoiding me," Loras said sadly. Margaery felt bad for him, she really did, but Renly had started their relationship after he was already engaged to Margaery. Fake, political relationship or not, it did not show that Renly was the most loyal of boyfriends. "Am I allowed to have a life away from you or are you going to spiral again?" 

"I'm not planning on spiraling out anytime soon now that I've got a roommate. Especially one who works in the press, no matter how much I trust her." Loras saw straight through her answer. She didn't want to scare Sansa away from her. Margaery hadn't really been that close with another woman after Daenerys. The two of them had been inseparable and Margaery obviously saw an opportunity to have another Daenerys in her life. Brienne had come close, but the tall woman hadn't felt nearly the same about Margaery as Margaery had about her. 

Everybody was always taken with Margaery's beauty at first. Her last name may have been Tyrell, but the girl had the looks of a Redwyne woman. The attention paid to her looks was more than enough to distract people long enough for Margaery to really wow them with her cunning and brilliance. People had often made the mistake of underestimating her, despite knowing what family she came from. It had begun to happen less and less as Margaery's similarities with her grandmother became clearer and clearer. Generations of people had made the mistake of not taking Olenna Tyrell seriously, especially the Lannisters. 

"Well, I suppose on that note, I'm going to go home for a bit. Maybe I'll go work out," Loras said as he got up from the dining room table. Margaery waved goodbye to him as he left and sat there for a little while longer. She thought of calling up Daenerys for a chat, but ultimately decided against it. She didn't remember the exact time zone difference, but recalled that it had to be the middle of the night there. Sansa would probably be back sometime in the afternoon or early evening, so Margaery had the day to herself. 

Deciding that she needed to relax, Margaery glanced out at the flowers in her yard. They weren't as nice as the ones in Highgarden, but they'd have to do. Maybe she could stop by the botanical gardens. Margaery wanted to bring Sansa there, but was afraid it would come off like a date. Granted, Margaery did want it to be a date, but Margaery could tell that Sansa was not interested yet. Perhaps she had seen a hint of wonder in the Stark woman's eyes, but it wasn't enough for Margaery to safely go after her. 

Relaxed from her little stroll, Margaery comes back into her house and makes herself a cup of tea. With a small smile, she reaches straight for the little box of floral teas that her grandmother sent her from Highgarden. On the same street as the Redwyne family wine shop, there is a tea run now by a couple of Margaery's cousins. Every couple of weeks or so, Olenna sends a box of things that Margaery would only be able to get in Highgarden for her favorite two grandchildren. Margaery keeps her share of the teas in a little box that her mother had left for her in the will. 

As Margaery waits for the water to boil, she runs her fingers over the intricate carvings on the wooden box. It's a dark wood, nearly black on the outside, but a light brown on the inside. On the center of the box's top, there is a rose carved out over a 'T' and then all around the box are thorny vines. If Margaery remembered what her grandfather had told her, the box was a wedding gift, Olenna's way of welcoming Margaery's mother to the family. Knowing her grandmother, that was a big deal. Olenna did not often warm up to people and she was not one for extending olive branches like that. 

"Shit!" Margaery exclaimed in surprise as the kettle began whistling. It honestly sounded more like a scream than a whistle to the brunette. She poured the water into the tea cup, let it steep a bit, and began to add sugar. Margaery liked her drinks sweet, but that did not mean she would turn away to something with a little bite. Life was a balance and she had learned that a little bitterness could really bring out the sweetness in other things. 

Margaery sat on her couch with her tea cup and turned on the television. Watching the news had always been a part of her job, but now it was even more crucial. She needed to know what things people were thinking of her and what issues needed attention. There was a lot that went into a campaign, especially if you were not the default favorite. In Highgarden, she had been offered support to run for their council. She was the people's candidate there, but here, she was a girl who had spent most of her time living in a lavish southern mansion. She had quite a bit of work to do outside of her home to win over the support of the people and make sure they knew that she wanted to also represent them. 

_"And when we return, we will talk about former councilman Tywin Lannister's thoughts on his daughter's progress and an exclusive with Margaery Tyrell's estranged husband, Renly Baratheon."_ Margaery froze for a moment as she read the words on the screen. She had to make sure that she heard the anchorman correctly. Hopefully Renly wouldn't throw her under a bus or anything. He had openly supported her campaign earlier, it was like his way of reintroducing himself to the people of Westeros. If he backtracked on her, it would surely not look good for her. Robert saying something in support of Cersei was expected, but Renly was supposed to be her husband, her support system. 

Margaery tuned out most of their segment about Tywin Lannister. He had, earlier in the day on a morning talk show, went on and on about how Cersei had been "studying up" on politics the past couple of years. He was proud of her for finally going out and doing what it was that she wanted, other than motherhood of course. Margaery rolled her eyes at that, knowing that Cersei had not wanted to be a mother initially. It had just sort of happened, she was married away to Robert and then the hellish bastard that was Joffrey Baratheon was birthed. Tommen and Myrcella were much more pleasant children, but all of them had halted Cersei's plans to find herself in a position of power in Westeros. 

_"I pledged my support to my wonderful wife earlier, but I must admit that this has taken quite a toll on her. She has pushed away both myself and her brother and closed herself off. Margaery is definitely a good candidate who will do what is for the good of the people, but the stress of just competing for the job has changed her into a woman that I am finding it difficult to recognize. By the end of this, I doubt that she will be the same person she was at the start,"_ Renly said and Margaery clenched her fists. Oh how that man was in a world of hurt whenever she saw him next. Beside her, Margaery's phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen, saw her brother Loras' name on the screen, and declined the call. Margaery hadn't expected Renly attack to be that of selfish self-sacrificing, which hurt her more than if he'd just called her a whore and moved on. Renly was playing right into the Lannister plot to make Margaery look like she was unfit for the job in whatever way they could. 

Margaery just laid slumped on the couch for the rest of the day. She had only gotten up to make herself another cup of tea and to grab a box of cookies from the cabinet. Loras didn't stop by, but had texted her many apologies for his boyfriend's actions. Margaery had left him a voicemail that it wasn't his fault and she wasn't going to be mad with him for something he couldn't control. Margaery had honestly seen points in what Renly had said and she wasn't going to punish Loras for anything unless he had personally done something to cross her. Sometime after Margaery's third cup of tea and second cup of coffee, Sansa came in bearing some sort of takeout for dinner. 

"Hey, I saw what Renly said about you. That was really fucked up, I'm so sorry. I was going to call you, but Loras told me that you don't answer the phone when you're upset," Sansa said as she set the food down on the coffee table. Margaery sat up a bit and gave Sansa a small smile. "Baratheon men can be dicks." 

"It's not that Renly was unfair in what he said, it's just that he put me on blast," Margaery said as Sansa started taking the food out of the bags. "Let me go get a bottle of wine. Grandmother sent a wonderful bottle of cherry wine that you absolutely must try. It's kind of supposed to be for Loras, but he'll understand." 

"Will he? You Tyrells take your wine very seriously," Sansa teased a little. Margaery shrugged and ran into the kitchen to get the bottle. She came back with two glasses and a beautifully decorated bottle. "How exactly does your family profit from anything with such extravagant bottles?" 

"I don't know. I was never one for the wine making side of the family. I preferred the political affairs," Margaery answered. "Also, Willas made this bottle actually. There's a little 'wt' on the bottom." 

"What can your family not do?" Sansa asked and Margaery shrugged as she chuckled. "There is either too much or not nearly enough to do in the south." 

"It's truly a bit of both." Margaery poured them wine and then the two of them moved onto a different part of the conversation. Margaery asked Sansa about her work and Sansa gave good answers without telling Margaery exactly what she'd been up to. Sansa had already told Margaery about getting the cover for the monthly issue, but not what the issue's articles were about. Margaery had an inkling that it had to do with the articles being released on the website, but there had been other news in the month. Not everything had to have some sort of tie to her, Margaery thought. 

"You're really amazing, you know," Sansa said thoughtfully. They had drank the entire bottle of wine together, and then some, before curling up very close to each other. 

"I'm not, just determined. I've always wanted to be like my grandmother, and now I have an opportunity to do what she did," Margaery said and Sansa stared down at her. Margaery glanced up to see Sansa's blue eyes staring down at her. Margaery licked her lips and leaned forward a bit. Sansa froze, unsure of what was going to happen. It wasn't like Sansa had never been kissed before, but she hadn't been kissed by another woman in such a casual setting. Sansa's brain kicked into gear and Sansa kissed Margaery back. 

The two of them did not stop there. Margaery kept pushing forward with the kiss, getting more and more from Sansa. Margaery liked the taste of wine on Sansa's lips with the hint of something savory from their food. Sansa was, as Margaery had teased her before at breakfast, very much a northern girl with northern tastes. Winterfell and the surrounding area was not known for its tasteful food, which Sansa had not quite branched out from yet during her years spent in King's Landing. 

Sansa could taste hints of spice on Margaery's tongue. Normally the girl shied away from spicy food, but here, Sansa couldn't get enough of it. The subtle burn Margaery's tongue left inside of her mouth. Sansa found herself chasing the taste of Margaery as they kissed. Sansa pulled Margaery on top of her and relished in the secure weight of Margaery on top of her body. Margaery broke the kiss with a gentle tug on Sansa's bottom lip, leaving the northern girl breathless and with slightly bruised lips. 


	13. Chapter 13

Sansa's heart raced as she stared at herself in the mirror. The makeup that she had worn into work was smudged now on her face. She had stayed in her room practically all day after her little encounter with Margaery on the couch. Sexuality had never been something that Sansa had really given much thought to. Sure, she had admired a beautiful woman before, but Sansa's mother, the straightest woman that Sansa knew, had told her that it was better to admire another woman than to ever tear her down. 

Margaery hadn't come by to check on Sansa, but the Stark knew that the other woman was awake. Sansa had heard Margaery on the phone with someone, presumably Loras if Sansa was counting the nicknames she'd heard snippets of, walking down the hallway and then down the stairs. Margaery's day did not stop just because Sansa couldn't get out of her own head long enough to start hers. Sansa knew she needed to talk to someone about what had happened, but Sansa didn't have anyone that she could talk to and trust. Jeyne wasn't answering her calls and Sansa wasn't completely sure she counted on Jeyne not to tell the wrong person. 

"Fucking hell," Sansa said to herself as she grabbed a makeup wipe. She started with her eye makeup. That came off fairly easily, much easier than she'd expected. Sansa wiped away most of her foundation before pausing as she got to her lipstick. It was smeared and Sansa couldn't blame that on how she's slept. It had been smeared before she had pulled herself off of the couch and went up to bed, still in a bit of a trance. 

That lipstick had been smeared when Margaery kissed her. Traces of her lipstick had been on Margaery's lips. Sansa had seen it when Margaery broke the kiss and took their glasses into the kitchen. Margaery had been able to go right back to functioning after their kiss and Sansa was stuck on it. She didn't know how to move forward because she didn't understand why kissing Margaery felt like it did. Sansa had definitely had boyfriends before, she had thought that she'd felt sparks with them, but nothing felt as special as kissing Margaery had. 

Sansa had kissed other girls before. She'd made out with Jeyne more times than she could remember. Still, it'd never been like kissing Margaery. Margaery had left an ache in Sansa's heart not unlike the one that had been left between her legs. Something dull, but persistent, slowly breaking down walls that Sansa hadn't noticed until they were crumbling. Sansa didn't touch herself though, fighting the urge that grew inside of her with each passing second. 

"I'm fucked," Sansa said to herself before bringing the makeup wipe up to her mouth. The lipstick smeared even more as she tried removing it. Giving up on that tactic, Sansa turned on her shower and decided to wash it away there instead. As hot water dripped down her back from the showerhead, Sansa's mind drifted back to the couch. The answer was simple, Sansa was attracted to Margaery in a romantic way. It made perfect sense, but Sansa couldn't bring herself to outwardly acknowledge it. So, it stayed in the back of her mind as she got dressed and went downstairs to get something to eat. It stayed in the back of her mind until she saw Margaery sitting on the countertop with a cup of tea in her hands and her head tilted. 

Margaery waved and smiled at her before hopping off of the counter. Sansa gave a smile back and graciously accepted the offered cup of tea. Margaery walked out of the kitchen, listening to whoever she was talking to on the phone now. Sansa sighed as she took a sip of the tea, which was somehow perfectly made. Sansa heard Margaery laugh at something loudly and the thoughts of her attraction came right up to the surface, making Sansa feel sick to her stomach with nervousness. Hopefully that would blow over soon enough. 

* * *

"Hi, my name is Cersei Lannister, candidate for the Westeros National Council. I know that lately, a lot of things have been said about my son Joffrey lately. People are calling him a cruel monster and a boy devoid of morals. To that I say, it is simply not true. My husband and I raised all of our children with morals and kindness in mind. Boys will be boys, they like to have fun and impress their friends," Cersei read her lines to the camera. It panned away for a moment and then cut to a photograph of Cersei, her husband, and their three children at one of their summer homes. 

"Paid for by the Cersei Lannister for Westeros Council Campaign," a voiceover read. With that, the commercial ended and the television screen went completely black before the next commercial aired.

* * *

"Sansa?" Margaery asked as she knocked gently on the redhead's door. The house had been tense in the couple of days following their kiss. Margaery realized that must have overstepped, but Sansa wouldn't hang around her long enough for Margaery to give her a proper apology. So, Margaery had decided to lure her out with something that the young woman had yet to resist, a bag of fresh lemon cakes from a bakery downtown. Technically, Sansa had never had those particular lemon cakes before, but Margaery knew that they were absolutely delicious. "Sansa, I need your help, please. I brought lemon cakes." 

"Yes?" Sansa asked as she cracked the door open a bit. Margaery could see that Sansa hadn't been sleeping well lately and she felt bad. She doubted it, but what if their kiss had caused some sort of internal conflict in Sansa. 

"We're leaving for a campaign tour and I was wondering if maybe you'd help me pack for Winterfell. Loras said that we'd be there at the start of your winter season. Winters in Highgarden don't usually get cold enough for the flowers to actually die. Actually, I'm pretty sure that the summers in Winterfell are colder than the winters in Highgarden," Margaery said with a small chuckle. She was nervous about this tour. They'd be stopping a couple places on their way to Winterfell, where Margaery would attend a rally and have a meeting with the Stark family. It was for publicity, but Margaery was legitimately excited to have a chance to meet the people who raised Sansa. They'd stay in Winterfell for a couple of weeks so that Margaery could meet with people there and learn about the issues at hand. 

"Show me your winter coat," Sansa said and Margaery walked Sansa into her bedroom. Sansa had never been inside of Margaery's room before. It was gorgeous and well organized, like she had hired someone to clean it for her. Sansa's room had fallen into a slightly chaotic state over the past few days between work and her attraction crisis with Margaery. "How do you keep your room so neat?" 

"I don't, Loras cleans it once a week. It's been like that since we were younger. Except then, instead of a paycheck, I'd cover for him when he snuck out and I did his history homework," Margaery said and Sansa nodded. Margaery walked over to her closet and pulled out two fairly thin coats. Sansa made a face, knowing that Margaery would freeze at the smallest gust of wind. "These won't do will they?" 

"Maybe when we're just starting to get into northern territory, but you'll freeze to death in Winterfell. And I'm not just saying that because you're southern. I went back for Christmas last year and was the laughing stock of my family," Sansa said and Margaery frowned. "Tomorrow, we can go shopping for good northern clothing. And if we can't find anything, my dad is big on saving old clothes so I'm sure there's an old coat of mine you can borrow while we're there." 

"Thank you Sansa. I'm sure that it cannot be easy for you to be around me after what I did," Margaery said. Sansa frowned, hearing the guilt in her voice. "It was wrong of me to kiss you like that. Thank you for not running for the hills." 

"It's fine, what's a kiss between friends?" Sansa asked, reaching out to grab Margaery's hands. Margaery blushed a little, something Sansa had never seen before, and offered Sansa a small smile. Sansa returned it, ignoring the smug feeling bubbling up inside of her. "I should get to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us." 

"Goodnight Sansa," Margaery said as she watched the Stark girl leave her room. Margaery stayed up for another few hours, gushing as quietly as she could to Loras about what had happened. Eventually, she fell asleep on the phone with him, but luckily he'd reminded her to plug it up for charging before they got too far into their conversation. Margaery woke up in the morning to the not-so-soft snores of her brother over the phone. Margaery ends the call, unplugs her phone, and goes downstairs to find something for breakfast. 

"Morning," Sansa greets her, somehow already dressed and ready. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to get going." 

"I need to eat something, get ready, and then we can go out," Margaery told her. Sansa nodded as she took a sip of her morning tea. Margaery made herself a cup of coffee and leaned down to get something out of what Loras had named the "junk pantry." Margaery smiled as she noticed that there was still a chocolate chip cookie dough Pop Tart in the box and decided that was going to be her breakfast. "Pop Tart?" 

"No thank you," Sansa answered. Margaery put it in the toaster and waited impatiently for it to get done. "You seem happier this morning." 

"Loras still snores," Margaery said, a little giggly. "He swears he doesn't, but he does. It's not even cute and quiet, it's loud and reminds me of our grandfather. Oh, and we're stopping by Highgarden on the tour and you've been formally invited to stay at grandmother's with Loras and I. You made quite the impression during that dinner." 

"Did I now?" Sansa asked and Margaery nodded. 

"Oh yes, she likes you a lot. It helps that I introduced you to her and not Loras. I'm what one would call her golden child." Margaery's excitement as she began to talk about her home and family only grew as she went on. Sansa couldn't help the way that it made her heart flutter a little. Especially whenever Margaery directed that absolutely radiant smile in Sansa's direction. Margaery left Sansa in the kitchen when she went to get ready and came back fairly quickly looking gorgeous. 

Sansa had felt a little plain next to Margaery as the Tyrell woman stood next to her in a light pink floral dress and white heels. Margaery grabbed a white leather jacket and put it on as they stepped outside. Sansa had opted for only wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue button up shirt that her mother had sent in the mail months ago. It was beginning to cool down a bit in King's Landing and Sansa was grateful. She did love the warm weather, but the colder temperatures reminded her of home. Margaery folded her arms over her chest and ducked her head down as she began walking out to the car. 

"Cold?" Sansa asked as she got into the passenger's seat. 

"A bit chilly," Margaery said and Sansa stifled a laugh. The amused look on Sansa's face was not lost on Margaery though. "I'm a summer child." 

"We'll get you an extra thick coat while we're out then," Sansa teased. 


End file.
